Somewhere to Belong
by Karuka Ikashi
Summary: Kakashi and Iruka have always had a lot in common, but never knew it till fate threw them together. As their troubled pasts lurk behind them, they soon find the answer to escape their loneliness in each other. My first KakaIru fic! Complete! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Something More Important

**A/N: Hey there, guys! This is my first KakaIru fic, so I hope you all enjoy it! Some feedback would be great and constructive criticism is more than welcome. I am the master of mistakes, but I tried to proofread the best I could. Despite evidence to the contrary, I'm only human, so help me out on the road to becoming a better writer. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Own the Naruto characters? Of course I do!…not.**

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**Chapter One: Something More Important**

Iruka was still just a kid the night of the Kyuubi attack. It was a horribly memorable night full of more terror than any child should see, even if he or she lived in a hidden ninja village. Hidden or not, the Kyuubi had seemed to find it all right. Now the giant nine-tailed fox demon was wreaking havoc at the village's edge, thrashing its nine tails around wildly, growling ferociously, and exposing sharp white fangs- all while devastating several lives at a time. Buildings were toppled and trees snapped like twigs under the enormous tails that thrashed out at them. The night air was full of cries of the injured and dying as well as those watching the ones they loved being injured or killed.

"Mom! Dad!" Iruka screamed and charged into the midst of the ninja trying to protect their village.

"Iruka, get OUT of here!" his father cried.

A building collapsed, and Iruka's mother leapt to snatch him out of the way before the debris fell where her son had been standing.

"Honey, we need you to go back," she said as sweetly as she could, though there was a mix of fear and concern in her voice, "NOW."

It was a direct order, but the thought of leaving his parents behind when there were so many other ninja dying around them made him feel more than a little uneasy and especially stubborn.

"No, I won't leave you!" he said, revealing a kunai, "I can fight too!"

"Listen to your mother, Iruka!" his father shouted, "You'll only get in the way out here. We can't protect you and fight the Kyuubi at the same time! Go BACK to the shelters!"

"NO!" Iruka screamed.

He looked up at his mother defiantly, who only stared back at him with cold eyes that suddenly spilled with tears. He _wouldn't _leave. They couldn't make him! There was a sudden thud as something hit him hard on the back of the head, and it took Iruka a moment to register that his own mother had struck him.

"I'm so sorry, Honey…"

He felt her arms wrap tight around him, and as he fell unconscious, he could still hear her sobs slowly echo away.

When he came to, it was not his mother's arms that he was held in. A strong, young chunnin was carrying him across the battlefield, toward the far edge of the village. _Where am I? What happened?_ Iruka couldn't make sense of it right away…Then, he suddenly remembered what his mother had done and panicked.

"Let me go! My parents are still out there!" he cried.

"There's nothing you can do!" the chunnin yelled back.

Iruka continued to struggle and protest, until finally, his savior had had enough and started looking for someone to pass his burden on to. The first one he spotted was a young silver-haired boy, still a young teen, but already of jounin ranking.

"Hey, Kakashi!" he yelled, landing by him.

The silver-haired boy looked up at him, face unreadable due to a black mask covering most of it, but his eyes were troubled and full of pain. He was trembling slightly. The chunnin carrying Iruka regarded him silently.

"Don't lose your cool now, Kakashi. You have to stay focused."

"I don't need you to tell me that," the silver-haired boy replied coldly.

"I need you to take this kid. The Fourth asked me to round up the rest of the children and bring them to the shelter. There's still plenty out there, running after their parents. I have to go."

He left abruptly, leaving Kakashi in charge of a scowling Iruka.

"I'm going back," the young genin informed him, "I'm going to help my parents."

"No," the jounin replied, "you're not. I have orders. We're going."

With that, Kakashi scooped Iruka up and tossed him unceremoniously over his shoulder. He began leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

"Let me GO!" Iruka screamed.

Though the jounin was only a year older than Iruka himself, he was a lot stronger. His grip didn't loosen, and Iruka's struggles were futile. Finally, the raven-haired boy lost his temper and elbowed Kakashi on the back of the head.

"Ugh," Kakashi grunted and dropped his charge on the rooftop that he was currently about to bound off.

Iruka hit the floor with a thud and glared back up at the jounin, who was rubbing the spot were Iruka had hit him. He returned the glare with two mismatched eyes. Iruka was held in shock. He had been too distracted earlier to realize who the jounin actually was- Sharingan Kakashi.

Kakashi ignored him for a moment and instead, looked back towards the battle that they had just left behind. He was still trembling slightly. Death was nothing new to him, but seeing his comrades dying around him, so many at a time, was enough to unnerve him. He knew the village had rarely faced such chaos. And now…

Iruka stared at the silver-haired boy curiously and then followed his gaze. The Kyuubi had made its way past the border of the village. Now it was approaching even closer, still leering menacingly at the villagers below it.

Then, without warning, there was a large cloud of white smoke that erupted before the monster. Once the smoke had cleared, a gigantic reddish-brown frog appeared in its midst. On top of that frog stood a tiny figure that was barely visible from where the two were standing. The figure was clad in a white cloak lined with a red flame pattern at the bottom. The Fourth Hokage! He was preparing a jutsu. Kakashi's eyes widened.

"Sensei…"

The two boys stared in horror as they watched the beloved Hokage perform the jutsu that would save the entire village…at the cost of his own life. The frightening demon of death came to take the Kyuubi's soul. Kakashi knew its power would be too great and that his sensei would have to find another body to seal it in, though he would still ultimately end up sacrificing his own. His mismatched eyes widened in disbelief as the Kyuubi's soul was wrenched from its body and drawn towards the Fourth. The golden-haired man channeled his chakra and concentrated on sealing the beast within a small body that the boys couldn't see, but would later learn had been the young infant named Naruto. The demon of death vanished as the Konoha's Yellow Flash took one final look at the people of his village, and, smiling weakly, collapsed down onto the frog's back.

Kakashi's throat went dry so that he could neither speak nor yell. The Yondaime, who had become the closest thing to a father Kakashi had, was the last person the jounin had considered to be one of his loved ones…and now he was gone. No more mentor to give him tips on his training. No more smiles to relieve some of the pain he felt from having seen his teammates die. No one left to understand him…_If you ever need someone to talk to, Kakashi, I'll listen. Teamwork means not leaving your friends to endure their burdens alone. _His sensei knew about him- about all that he suffered through. Kakashi had always known that his sensei had always treated him especially kindly due to the fact that he knew the story of his father's tragic end. Somehow, he felt comfortable with this fact. Over time, they had grown closer until finally, Kakashi had realized how much trust existed between them. The pain of losing the Yondaime in addition to so many other friends was too much for Kakashi to handle, and he turned away from Iruka to hide the tears he was so ashamed of.

Iruka stared back at the scene and his own tears ran down the sides of his face. He had been so powerless. The Hokage had just sacrificed himself for the village, and all Iruka had been able to do was watch. He couldn't save his friends. He couldn't help his parents…What could he do? Nothing, he realized. Nothing but run away…or rather, be carried away.

"We're leaving," Kakashi announced once he had taken a moment to recover, "Don't hit me again. I really don't want to have to knock you out."

"Fine," Iruka growled, "But you don't have to carry me."

Kakashi nodded.

"Just as long as you can keep up."

With that, he leapt from the building, and Iruka followed. At least he wasn't acting like a little kid anymore. He would follow his orders, like a real ninja. He would not get in the way when he wasn't needed. He would let other people do their jobs. He would go to the shelters and wait, he decided- wait until his parents came for him…if they ever did.

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The next day, a lonely child sat at the entranceway to the sturdy caves in the Hokage wall that the children and weaker ninja had taken shelter in. The faces of the previous Hokage, three out of four of them now deceased, were carved into the mountainside, protecting those who took shelter within them the same way they had dedicated their lives trying to do. Iruka was already dressed in the black garb the supervisors had given him to wear to the funeral. This funeral was not just for one person- it was for many. All of the ninja who had sacrificed their lives defending the village, and especially the Fourth Hokage who had died as Konoha's savior would be honored and sent off to the next world. As Iruka was ushered out with all the other children and families, he looked through the crowd for his parents, though he knew that them not coming back for him last night probably had confirmed his worst fears. Still, he thought, maybe there was a chance. Maybe they had just been hurt. Maybe the reason they hadn't come back was because they were lying in a hospital bed, unable to move. Were they worrying about him now, thinking their son didn't know that they were still alive? But as Iruka approached the front of the large group gathered around the coffin holding the Fourth's body and the several photos set in frames around him, Iruka saw that his own mother's and father's photos were among them. He let out a shriek and started shaking uncontrollably. It was too much pain for him to handle. He couldn't take losing both parents at once. To suddenly be alone in the world was such a shock to him, he almost couldn't comprehend it. No more mother to kiss him good night. No more father to tell him how much he'd been improving as a ninja. No parents to watch him take his chunnin exam, or see him grow into a man, or ever speak another word to him as long as he lived! And there was nothing he could do to bring them back.

He fell to his knees and started crying. He didn't care if anyone saw him. There was no one else there to him. He was alone. Who else was there that mattered? Everyone he loved was gone. It was just too painful. He trembled as he knelt there. He covered his face and let out small gasps as he waited to wake up from such a horrible nightmare. He wanted to leap from his bed and run out of his room to find that his parents were still all right and that this had all been nothing more than a terrible dream…He froze in shock as he suddenly felt a cautious hand touch his shoulder.

"It's…okay," a voice said quietly, "I know how you feel."

Iruka stared up and saw Kakashi through blurry eyes. The jounin was dressed in black, like him, and his headband covered his famous sharingan.

"What do you mean it's okay!" Iruka choked, "It's not okay! It'll never be okay! Do you think knowing how I feel makes it any better!"

Kakashi's one visible eye glared at him for a moment, but then, his expression softened and instead, he looked sympathetic.

"You should be proud of your parents. At least they died nobly, protecting the village with their lives…My parents-"

He cut himself off. He wasn't open to sharing his feelings especially with this kid that he barely knew. It was the most he could do to try to comfort him.

"They gave up their lives for you," he said instead, "You should be grateful."

"But…I didn't want them to!" Iruka shouted, "I wanted them to live! Why did they have to leave me behind!"

"Maybe there was something more important to them than their lives," Kakashi said quietly.

Then, he turned and began to walk away. Iruka stared at him, speechless. That was the first time he ever admired the jounin. He wasn't even sure why. Iruka was surprised to have seen his softer side. Not only that, but Kakashi seemed to recognize the softer side of other ninja, even those he had never met…like Iruka's parents.

_How did his die? _Iruka wondered. Kakashi was an orphan like him. Something about this similarity made Iruka feel closer to Kakashi, even though after that incident, Kakashi barely spoke another word to Iruka. Though the two had only interacted briefly, their loose connection would continue to grow with them, and eventually, they would come to realize the impact each one would have on the other's life. Eventually…

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**More coming soon! Please leave a review!** **Thanks! -**


	2. Chapter 2: Set in Stone

**Hey there, guys. Second chapter's completed and ready for your reading enjoyment. Yay! I tried to update quickly, but I ended up writing a short fic somewhere in between. Check out "Follow Me" if you have the time. It's nothing great, but it was fun to write. I'm planning on writing another short one soon- hopefully it'll turn out funny (crosses fingers). Bring on the sugar! I'm on the lookout for KakaIru fics, so email if you want me to check yours out. Lastly, I'd love to thank everyone who gave me reviews. They really mean a lot to me! More reviews equals more motivation equals more writing (and faster updates!). But what am I telling you this for? You all ready know! I gotta say, if one person asks me to keep going, that's worth the effort of writing another chapter quickly. You're awesome!**

**And before I forget...**

**Warning: Kakashi Gaiden spoilers! If you haven't gotten this far, get on it! You're really missing out!****

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**Chapter Two: Set in Stone**

13 years later…

_I never wanted to be responsible for anyone's life,_ Kakashi thought sadly as he gazed upon the memorial stone.

His eyes rested on one name: "Obito Uchiha"- the friend that he had not been able to save. He looked upon his name with Obito's own eye, the sharingan he had given to Kakashi upon his death. Kakashi sighed. After Obito's death, he had never been the same. Obito had left more than his eye behind for Kakashi as a gift. Kakashi had changed for the better, a result of Obito's sacrifice. He had let some of the coldness melt away and took back some of the emotions that he had cast aside but had never truly lost. Obito had taught him the importance of protecting one's team members…but Kakashi hadn't been able to save him. He hadn't been able to save anyone.

" I let them down," Kakashi said to the stone, " Maybe I really was never meant to be a leader…Obito, what would you say to me if you were still alive?"

The day he had become a jounin and led his first team had been a horrible experience. He had watched his friend die under his leadership. Now, so many years later, he had finally been put in charge of another team…and once again he had failed them. Sasuke was gone, and his other genin were slipping away. Sakura was training under Tsunade, and Naruto had taken an interest in Jiraiya as his new mentor. The team had broken apart. Kakashi couldn't help but feel so alone. _Back to where I started…_

He felt responsible for Sasuke's betrayal. It had been him who had trained him and taught him to use the chidori that had almost ended Naruto's life. Why hadn't he been able to see this before?

_I was so naïve to think that tying him to a tree and making him listen to me was going to change anything. I thought I saw it coming…but I was so blind. I couldn't see what I didn't want to believe._

The truth was obvious now. Sasuke was gone, and Kakashi felt the guilt, though no one from Konoha blamed him. The Godaime herself had even spoken to him privately.

" I know you think this was your fault, but there's nothing you could have done. Once someone as stubborn as him makes up his mind, there's no stopping him."

_Why couldn't I make him understand the danger in his obsession for revenge?_ Kakashi hadn't been able to say anything in response to his own question or Tsunade's statement. What the Godaime had said was true, after all. Sasuke had been "stubborn," though this seemed to be putting it lightly. Betraying your village just to seek power needed for revenge was a little more extreme.

Iruka was passing by on his way home from the academy. The young future ninja in his class had been rowdier than usual, and it had worn the poor sensei out. He barely noticed Kakashi standing by the stone, but then realized that he had barely seen much of the jounin around the village. He was usually locked up in his room or nowhere to be found. Seeing him here was a rare sight. Iruka stopped and stared.

Kakashi noticed the dark-skinned chunnin standing not too far away. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Iruka stare at him with a questioning look. Kakashi sighed and turned to face him. Iruka jumped in the sudden realization that he had been caught gawking at the silver-haired man and quickly bowed in apology.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei. I didn't mean to stare."

The jounin simply nodded.

"Don't worry about it."

Iruka was glad Kakashi wasn't mad at him. This jounin was not one you wanted to upset…especially if he has an intimidating sharingan locked onto you like a hawk. The chunnin's uneasiness must have been visible because the Copy-Nin slowly pulled his headband over his scarred eye before turning back around and continuing to stare at the memorial stone, a sad expression visible in his mostly-covered face. Iruka stared at him curiously and dared to venture closer to Kakashi until he was standing right beside him. Kakashi didn't seem to mind. This was a public monument, after all. And Iruka had…

"There's my parents."

Iruka indicated the Uminos' names carved onto the stone.

Feeling suddenly awkward, he stared at the Copy-Nin and asked quietly, "Who are you visiting?"

Kakashi's single visible eye curved with his false smile.

"More people than I wish I was."

His voice was calm and soothing, but Iruka sensed the pain hidden behind it. The chunnin felt a rush of pity for the jounin. With all the field experience he had, how many people had he seen die?

"I'm sorry…" Iruka said sadly, and then added, "It's frightening to think…that the little brats and teacher's pets I see now…might end up having their names carved on this stone someday."

There was a moment of silence before Iruka could have sworn he heard Kakashi suppress a chuckle. Iruka looked at him shocked. What could possibly be funny about what he had just said!

"You know," Kakashi said, beginning to explain himself, "Before Naruto knew what this stone was, he said he wanted his name carved onto it. No doubt he took his words back immediately."

The tan chunnin looked slightly pale. Kakashi realized that he had just made poor Iruka very nervous. The image of Naruto's name being carved onto this stone was too much for him to take in. The boy who he now constantly treated to ramen, who wore his own headband…how could he even begin to imagine…

Kakashi put his hand on Iruka's shoulder. His eye still held the same happy look that tried to assure Iruka that nothing was wrong. Something about Kakashi's touch sent a shiver down Iruka's spine, as if it carried its own overwhelming vibe. Iruka didn't really understand this; he assumed it was due to the jounin's prestige. It was like being touched by a celebrity, which Kakashi practically was. Not that the chunnin knew only one renowned ninja. He came in contact with them almost daily. So why…

"You don't have to worry about a thing," Kakashi assured him, "Naruto's a lot tougher than he looks. You know that…and as long as I'm still here, he'll be fine. I would never let my teammates die."

_Except you have, _the voice inside Kakashi's head said. _What do you think happened to Obito? What almost happened to Naruto? You're nothing but a liar. A worthless liar… You can't protect anyone. There is no Team Seven anymore. _

Iruka smiled, and the color returned to his face. Though he could tell when a person was hiding something from all of his experience as an academy teacher, the jounin's promise seemed so sincere somehow…and Iruka decided that maybe this was because he _wanted _to believe him. He _wanted _to trust Kakashi.

"You know, Kakashi-sensei," the raven-haired man said with a small laugh, "all of this time, I feel that I've misjudged you…and I'm really sorry about that. I guess I was just worried about Naruto being taken care of. You know how he is."

"All too well," the jounin laughed softly.

"Well, at least now I can be sure…that he's in good hands."

_Hands that aren't mine. _Kakashi sighed. Maybe it was better that Naruto was in Jiraya's hands now. At least under the Sannin's care, he'd be safe. _At least Jiraya could do a decent job of protecting him. _The Copy-Nin stared at the stone more intently, making too much of an effort to ignore the voice inside him that kept putting him down. Iruka noticed the smile fade from the jounin's eye.

"Kakashi-sensei? Are you all right?"

Kakashi snapped out of it, and his fake smile returned.

"Yes, fine. I'm sorry. Just thinking."

_About what a failure you are._

"Err…" Kakashi grunted softly.

"What?" Iruka asked.

"Nothing," Kakashi responded calmly, "I was just thinking…I haven't seen much of Naruto and Sakura lately. Well, I know Naruto's off training with Jiraya, and I see Sakura whenever I have to go to the Fifth's office for a mission, but usually, I never hear from them. I suppose they've moved on."

Iruka shrugged.

"That's what kids do."

"Yeah…"

There was a long silence between them. What else was there to say? Kakashi couldn't find a way to release all of the pain he had worked so hard to suppress. Just as he had been when he was fourteen, Kakashi was still reluctant to open up to anyone. _Have I lost my value as a ninja? There seems to be only so much I could do these days._ He looked at Iruka, a man with a purpose. At least he was needed. There were children that relied on him to teach them the basic skills that they needed to survive on the missions that they would one day undertake, and the tan chunnin, though strict, was always determined not to let them down. He had yet to fail as a teacher. Kakashi was almost jealous of him.

Iruka stared at he ground, while Kakashi continued to gaze at the stone. Finally, Iruka decided it was best that he took his leave.

"I should probably get going," the tan chunin said, "but I guess I'll see you at the Fifth's meeting tomorrow night, right?"

"Oh, yes. I almost forgot about that. I'll probably be a bit late."

"See you then," Iruka said with a smile.

Kakashi raised his hand and waved slightly before letting it drop and return to his side. The Copy-Nin was confused. Somehow, Iruka's smile had melted some of his pain away. Now he felt some sort of warmth. Just a little bit, but it was there, nonetheless. _Something's wrong with you, Kakashi. Everyone who cares about you is dead. You know that. Iruka, despite his concern, couldn't possibly… _He shook it off. His eyes fell back on Obito's name, and he raised his hand up to touch his headband where it covered his sharingan. _Obito, even your eye is blind…_

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**Hope you liked it. Look for the next chapter soon! **


	3. Chapter 3: Mission

**Hey, there! Sorry for taking a while to update. I guess you could say I got lost on the road of life (oldest excuse in the book, I know), but it's true- I've had a busy schedule. Anyway, thank you to everyone who gave me reviews. You people are great! I really appreciate it. Enjoy the chapter!

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**Chapter Three: Mission**

Kakashi wasn't one to listen to speeches with extreme intensity. True that he could _hear_ the Fifth speaking, but whether or not he was actually _listening_ was another matter. It wasn't that he didn't respect the Fifth. Typically, he didn't ignore people when they were saying something important, but today, his mind was particularly clouded. He wasn't as depressed as he had been the day before, though he knew _that_ pain had still not completely lifted. Kakashi expected it never would…but now he was left more confused than ever before. Tsunade was still glaring at him slightly as she spoke to all the other chunnin and jounin in the room, explaining Konoha's situation. The Hokage had not been happy with him for showing up late.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Kakashi," she had said as he had appeared at the door, "You chose the wrong day to practice your bad habit of chronic tardiness."

Her face had looked so stern and frightening that the jounin had taken his seat slightly more quickly than normal while still amazingly keeping a complacent expression on his face. As the Hogake had resumed the speech that she had already started, his eyes had wandered across the room and landed on a certain chunnin sitting near the window. Iruka had given him an amused smile.

Kakashi didn't know what confused him more- Iruka's reaction to his tardiness or his own reaction to Iruka's smile. It was some strange, unfamiliar feeling inside of him that made him feel both empty and full at the same time and suddenly aware of the distance that lay between them. He had never experienced anything like this when he was younger and still learning the basics of ninja training or on any mission that he had ever been on. Few people had made him feel uncomfortable by simply staring at him. Maybe there was still something wrong with him…

He remembered the day before when they had both met at the stone. Was this anything like he had been feeling then? A strange presumption that maybe Iruka really did care for him? _No. I told you before- it's nothing like that. Iruka feels sorry for you, maybe, but he doesn't **care**. Caring involves some kind of closer connection, and you two hardly know each other. Iruka doesn't really know you. He could never care._

Across the room, the tan chunnin was doing his best to listen to Tsunade, but just like Kakashi, he was having a difficult time concentrating on her speech. It was more or less about what he already knew- the shortage of ninja in the village, the areas of the village that _still _hadn't recovered from Orochimaru's attack, and so on. He let his eyes slowly wander across the room full of ninja until finally, they locked themselves onto the silver-haired jounin. Kakashi was staring at a spot on the wall behind the Hokage, resting his head on his palm and seemingly deep in thought. His eyes carried the same bored expression that they always did. _He hasn't even been here that long,_ Iruka thought. _He was late just like he said he would be._ Iruka wondered what the Copy-Nin was thinking about at that moment.

_How long has it been since anyone's cared? _Kakashi wondered. He remembered the night of the Kyuubi attack, when he had watched his sensei sacrifice himself for the village. Before that, it had been his teammate, Rin, who had been killed during their last mission together before their sensei had become Hokage. He shuddered at that memory. He still had a scar on his back from the large wound Rin had been trying to heal only moments before her death. On that fateful night, not too long after Obito's death, the three members that were left of the soon-to-be-Yondaime's team had been battling intruders at Konoha's border. Kakashi had suddenly been struck down by an enemy ninja and had been in danger of dying from blood loss when Rin had leapt to his side immediately and cut off his new jounin vest and shirt before using her healing jutsu to close the wound. She hadn't had time to prepare for the enemy ninja's attack, and their sensei had been busy dealing with five other skilled opponents. Kakashi had only just felt his wound close up before Rin's lifeless body had fallen on top of him.

Frozen in shock long enough for her murderer to charge at him, Kakashi had felt the world collapsing around him. Now another friend had given up her life for him, just as Obito had done. Why! His life wasn't worth more! Why did he have to watch people he love die in front of him! Why could he never protect them! Obito's eye had flooded with tears, as if the Uchiha himself had been crying over Rin's death, and maybe this sensation was what had hurled Kakashi back to reality so that he could block the murderer's attack the second before he had struck. Revenge hot in his blood, he had killed the ninja swiftly and gone on to help his sensei finish off his opponents. Even after this, however, he had found himself unsatisfied. No amount of enemy blood was going to bring Rin back. The promise he had made to protect her had been broken. He had failed again.

Iruka watched Kakashi's face twist as if he were in pain. Was it possible that the jounin had been injured on some mission? _No_, he realized. He had been filing papers in the mission room and remembered that Kakashi hadn't been sent on any high rank missons lately. So then, what?

"And that's why, because of the shortage of ninja in our village, other countries might seek to take advantage of our weakness at this time," the Fifth was saying, "as you might have guessed, border control is going to have to be more intense, so I'm pairing each of you jounin with one or two chunnin so that we can cover more ground and still keep up our defenses."

Iruka suddenly directed his attention back to Tsunade, his eyes wide and mouth gaping slightly. _What? Nothing like **this **has ever happened before…_Kakashi seemed shocked as well, though it was a lot harder to tell on his mostly-covered face. He had always preferred border control to regular missions because it was typically less dangerous, and he had time to think to himself because _usually_, he went on border patrol alone. It wasn't that he feared danger; he just liked being able to read one of his books while hopping from tree to tree.

"I've already made a list of the ninja that I've placed together," the Hokage said and began reading off names from a paper in her hand.

Kakashi placed his head back on his palm and continued his reminiscing. Iruka put both of his hands together, fingers twitching nervously. _I wonder who she's going to put me with. I shouldn't even have to go on border patrol…It's not that I don't want to protect the village- but who's going to look after the kids? The last substitute was almost assassinated. He told me that he was **never** going to come back… The one before that was pretty good, but she didn't know how to deal with those troublemakers effectively, either… Some people just don't understand how difficult being an academy teacher really is…_

"Team Fourteen- Sarutobi Asuma and Nara Shikamaru…Team Fifteen- Hatake Kakashi and Umino Iruka."

Both jounin and chunnin jumped slightly. Kakashi felt Iruka's gaze on him and turned to him with a smile visible in his eye. Iruka did his best to smile back, though he was still in shock. _I'm going on border patrol with Kakashi!_ his mind yelled. _What a coincidence, _Kakashi thought, seemingly indifferent but in actuality not much less surprised.

"Now then," Tsunade announced once she had finished reading off the rest of the names, "I have your assignments. Come up when I call your team so that you know which area you're covering."

When Team Fifteen's turn came, Kakashi and Iruka both went up to receive their assignments. The Hokage's eyes fell on them as they approached, and she quickly handed them their assignment.

"You two are in charge of the Northeastern part of the border. This part is considered to be one of the most dangerous, so don't let your guard down. Iruka, I know you haven't had much field experience, so I've paired you with Kakashi to balance your team out. I've all ready arranged for a substitute to cover your classes. Your assignment begins tomorrow, so leave by noon and return at sundown after two days. Good luck. You're excused."

The two ninja bowed and took their leave. They exited through the back door and walked out of the building into the night. Neither of the two said anything. Kakashi's face was still calm. He didn't seem affected by the suddenness of this new assignment. He was used to surprises. Iruka felt rather awkward, however, and finally, he was the first to speak.

"So…Where do you want to meet tomorrow?"

"Hmm? Oh, well…the bridge is fine. That's where I always meet…met…with my team."

There was a hint of sadness in his voice, and Iruka felt a sudden stab of guilt even though he had done nothing except ask an essential question. Kakashi sensed his pity and was suddenly ashamed. This wasn't the time for this. He didn't want anyone feeling sorry for him.

"Tomorrow, then," he said with a smile, "I'll try to be there on time."

And he was serious about it.

"Great," Iruka said, "See you then."

They said their goodbyes and each headed in their separate directions. As Kakashi walked down the street, he gazed up at the full moon and star-covered sky. He wondered about Team Seven and what each of his former students was doing. He knew Sakura was most likely doing fine. Tsunade had been telling him of her incredible progress, but he had yet to see any of the techniques that she had acquired. Naruto was probably fairing well also. He knew the young ninja's determination would keep him striving to improve, and under Jiraya, that was sure to happen. And the last of his team…Kakashi shook his head. Every time he thought of Sasuke, he shuddered slightly. What was the evil Sannin teaching him? Kakashi wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Iruka passed the familiar ramen restaurant on his way home and stared at it sadly. It hadn't been too long since Naruto had left, but he still missed the nights he would take the gennin out to ramen. He had always been so happy and excited when Iruka had invited him. Now that Naruto was gone, Iruka felt a pang of loneliness. He knew he should be happy for Naruto- at least he was getting the training he needed to become a better ninja, but at the same time, he often wished he could at least see how he was progressing and hear his enthusiastic voice telling him how good he was getting. He sighed. He hadn't grown as attached to any of his other students at the academy. He still cared for each one, but none of them were Naruto. Now he'd have to leave them all in someone else's hands, at least for a while. How long would these border patrol assignments last? _Two days with Kakashi…_Iruka thought, considering it. _Should be interesting…_

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**Hope you liked it! Sorry, I know my chapters keep getting shorter. I don't want to slow the story down, though, so I do whatever feels right. I'm also sorry to say that I won't be able to update until after the 25th since I'm going on vacation and won't have access to the internet. I'm bringing my laptop with me, though, so expect something by the time I get back! You're probably wondering what's going to happen next...Sorry to leave you hanging!I'll also be working on a new short KakaIru fanfic, so look forward to that too! I look forward to reading any and all reviews! Thanks, guys!**


	4. Chapter 4: Team Fifteen

**Finally back! I had a great vacation! Thank you so much for being patient. I was using the computer in the lobby to read my reveiws, so thank you so much to those people who sent them to me! Without you guys, I probably would have gotten lazy and not finished the chapter before I got back. Hopefully, you'll like it enough to make up for the wait. Hope you enjoy it!**

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**Chapter Four: Team Fifteen**

The next afternoon when Iruka came to the bridge with his pack full of supplies, he was in for a shock. Kakashi had gotten there before him! Gaping at him for a moment, the chunnin checked the time just to make sure he wasn't the one running behind, but as he looked at his watch, he saw that it was noon…exactly. Kakashi was sitting on the arch that hung over the bridge reading his favorite book from an infamous series. As Iruka arrived, Kakashi looked over the pages at him, and his eye curved into a smile.

"Good afternoon," he greeted, noting the expression on Iruka's face, "Surprised to see me on time for once?"

"Well, you did say you'd try to be," Iruka replied once he had recovered.

Kakashi leapt down from the arch and landed next to Iruka. The jounin was carrying his own pack that looked a bit lighter than Iruka's. The chunnin took a glance over his shoulder and wondered if he had over-packed. It had been a while since he had gone on any mission, even border patrol…but teaching young ninja the proper amount of supplies to bring on a mission was part of Iruka's job. Maybe the jounin just hadn't brought enough, he decided. Kakashi tucked his book into his back pouch and smiled at him.

"Shall we go, then?"

Iruka nodded. The two of them headed for the large entrance of the village. Once they had reached it, Iruka was about to take out his map, but Kakashi all ready seemed to know where they were going.

"Northeast is this way," Kakashi said as Iruka bounded after him.

The jounin was fast, and Iruka had some trouble keeping up. It hadn't helped that his schedule had been getting so hectic lately with student assignments and mission room duty, leaving him with barely enough time to keep up his personal training and still be able to relax a bit now and then. At least compared to Kakashi, Iruka felt out of shape.

They traveled for more than an hour in silence. Iruka wasn't sure what to say to Kakashi- _that_, and he was feeling short of breath. _Come on, Iruka, _the chunnin thought to himself. _You've got to keep your stamina up. You don't want Kakashi thinking you're weak…_By the time two hours had passed, however, Kakashi noticed that his partner was slowing down. He landed on the next tree branch and stopped.

"Do you need a break?" he asked, "I know you're not used to this…If the pace is too fast-"

"I'm fine," Iruka insisted stubbornly, "We should keep moving until we've reached the border."

"If you say so," Kakashi said, "but it is a long way. Let me know if you need to rest."

With that, the jounin leapt from the branch and continued on his way. Iruka followed behind, panting hard and slightly regretting his decision. His pack seemed to be getting heavier by the second. It was pulling down on him like a giant weight on his back that he had to fight to lift with each jump. He grunted slightly as he bounded forward, sweat running down the sides of his face.

Kakashi glanced over his shoulder to see Iruka still lagging behind. _He's pushing himself too hard, _Kakashi thought, noticing the chunnin's red, sweat-soaked face. _If he keeps going like this, he's going to-_

With the next leap, Iruka's foot caught onto a tree limb clumsily before the exhausted chunnin felt a sudden rush of dizziness that caused him to fall forward. He collapsed from the tree and was falling head first towards the ground before a silver flash bounded off a nearby tree and caught him in midair. Kakashi lay the startled Iruka down on the forest floor.

"Ughh," Iruka grunted.

"Looks like you overdid it," Kakashi told him, "I think it's best if we stopped and rested a while, hmm?"

"I'm sorry…" the chunnin muttered embarrassedly.

Iruka felt like an idiot, but now even he couldn't deny that he needed a break. His head was still spinning.

"Look- you packed too much stuff," Kakashi said with a smile in his eye as he relieved Iruka of his burden, slipping the pack from the chunnin's shoulders and out from underneath him.

"I did not," Iruka protested, "I only brought what was necessary! I teach children what they need to bring on missions. I think I know what kind of things one should leave behind."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but his voice stayed kind and calm.

"You're working off theory. When you're actually dragging around your 'necessities,' you start to realize what you can and can't live without. It comes with experience. You'll learn over time."

_Listen to him, talking like he knows everything, _Iruka thought bitterly, though he knew Kakashi was most likely right. He _did _have more experience after all. Iruka realized there was a lot he still had to learn even though he was suppose to be a teacher. He glanced at the older ninja, who was still supporting his upper body after removing the pack from underneath him. His arms were so strong and supportive. Strangely, being in them made Iruka feel more stable and secure. The academy teacher's face turned slightly red. _What am I thinking? _Kakashi was looking straight at him. The jounin seemed to have a hint of worry in his eye, but Iruka couldn't be sure. His face was so hard to read…

The Copy-Nin realized he was still holding Iruka up and put him down swiftly but gently. The chunnin raised his hand to his head and groaned as the throbbing slowed down.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kakashi asked him.

"Fine," Iruka replied with a grunt, and then, looking up at the jounin's concerned face added, "Thank you."

Kakashi nodded.

"Just tell me when you feel ready to leave…but don't rush yourself."

Iruka managed a nod, but regretted it. The throbbing grew more painful. Iruka slowly closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep. In his dreams, he was soaring through the sky, leaping higher than he ever thought possible. He could see Konoha below him, and as he felt the air whip against his face, he felt the joy of being home, yet, a strange loneliness when he realized that there was no one there waiting for him…

His eyes burst open suddenly. Somehow, he could still feel the wind on his face, and looking down, he suddenly realized that he was still bounding through the air! It was all ready after sunset, and the sky had just gone dark. Something was supporting the chunnin from underneath, and Iruka's face flushed red with the realization that Kakashi was carrying him on his back.

"Oh, you're awake," Kakashi said, "Sorry…I tried to wake you, but you were practically out cold. I thought we should cover a bit more ground before we set up camp for the night. I hope you don't mind."

Iruka didn't know what to say at first. The jounin was carrying not only him, but both of their packs as well. This did not make Iruka feel any better about himself, and the chunnin felt guilty for leaving Kakashi with such a burden.

"I can't believe I fell asleep," Iruka muttered, "You can put me down; I feel better."

Kakashi stopped and slowly lowered Iruka down. The chunnin's legs felt weak underneath him, but he managed to stand and support himself and his pack. Kakashi kept an arm on him until he was sure the chunnin was stable.

"Thanks," Iruka told him.

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi replied.

"Are we close to the border?" Iruka asked.

"Yes," Kakashi replied, "but it would be best to set up camp outside of it, since _that_ area would be too dangerous."

"Okay…Just a little further, then?"

Kakashi nodded, and the two ninja leapt forward to continue on their way. Iruka still felt a bit drowsy, but he was alert enough to keep on moving without falling off another tree branch. _I'm never going to get over that_, he thought to himself mournfully. Before, he had been too out of it to feel nearly as embarrassed as he did now. He shot a glance at Kakashi now and then, but the jounin acted as if nothing had happened. _To him, it was just another part of the mission_, Iruka thought. To Iruka, however, it was the first time anyone had had to take care of him in a long while.

When they had gotten close enough to the border, they finally settled down for the night. Iruka took out his sleeping bag from his stuffed pack. It had been quite a while since he had slept outdoors. He was used to a comfortable bed, not the hard forest floor. And that wasn't his only complaint, either. Already, he longed for hot food rather than the cold food he had to eat since a fire might attract unwanted attention…and as he contemplated his situation, he realized he had taken a lot of other things for granted as well, including having a _bathroom _nearby rather than being forced to use the closest bush. At least he knew what types of plants were poisonous. He remembered this well from his time at the academy and his training as a gennin. Never again would he suffer from nasty rashes in unwanted places.

_When did I become so spoiled?_ Iruka wondered, shaking his head. Despite his accidental nap earlier, the chunnin was still very worn out from the day and more than ready for bed. He and Kakashi ate their small dinners together, with few words spoken between them.

"I hate cold soup," Iruka muttered.

Kakashi only shrugged.

"You get used to it. Makes you look forward to coming home."

"Not much else to look forward to," Iruka sighed.

He wasn't really sure if he meant it. It was at least partly true, though. It wasn't as if anyone was really waiting for him, except maybe some of the kids at the academy. Most of them probably preferred tormenting a less strict substitute anyway. Iruka hardly felt missed. Kakashi smiled sadly.

"I know what you mean."

There was no one anxiously awaiting his return, either, except maybe for Gai, who could never resist challenging his eternal rival on a constant basis. Even he treated Kakashi more like an enemy than a friend. Kakashi sighed as his discouraging inner self gave him an unnecessary reminder: _Everyone who cares is dead._

There was a now-familiar silence between the two ninja. Kakashi finished his soup before Iruka could even see him pull down his mask. It would have been too dark to see the jounin's face clearly anyway. Iruka couldn't help but feel disappointed. Like everyone else, the chunnin was curious about what the Copy-Nin really looked like under the mask. Why did he always keep his face hidden?

Iruka gazed up at the sky and sighed. Naruto was probably settled down on some forest floor miles away, possibly finishing up his own meal, but more than likely already fast asleep. Iruka missed him terribly.

"Things just aren't the same without Naruto," Iruka sighed.

Kakashi was quiet for a moment and then laughed softly.

"You're right- it's quieter."

Iruka threw a twig at the jounin playfully. Kakashi blocked it easily.

"I'm sure he's doing fine," he told the chunnin with a smile.

"Of course," Iruka agreed, "Bet you're glad Jiraya's the one who has to deal with him now."

"Sometimes," Kakashi replied, "but other times, I wish I felt more…useful."

He wasn't sure why he was admitting this. Somehow, it had just come out.

"_Useful_?" Iruka asked, surprised, "What are you talking about? Out of all the ninja in the village, you're one of the ones that most definitely pulls his own weight. Konoha wouldn't _be_ in this crisis if it had more ninja like you."

Kakashi's face turned slightly pink beneath his mask at the compliment.

"Thank you…That's very kind of you to say, but-"

He paused. Iruka waited patiently, curious about what the jounin had to say…but Kakashi decided that he had gone far enough and didn't really want to continue.

"Ah, never mind."

Iruka's face fell in disappointment and sympathy. He knew Kakashi was hiding something and felt bad that the jounin was reluctant to let it out.

"What is it?" Iruka asked sensitively, "Don't you have faith in yourself as a ninja?"

"I did once," was all Kakashi said in response.

Iruka looked at him sadly. He had sensed Kakashi's depression that day at the memorial stone, but he hadn't known it had been this bad. Why was Sharingan Kakashi, one of Konoha's most famous ninja, doubting himself? Was it because of what had happened to his team? He couldn't possibly blame himself for that…could he?

"You know what happened with Sasuke wasn't your fault," Iruka told him, "It was his own decision, not anything you did!"

"I know," Kakashi replied, frustration in his voice, "That's what everyone says, but if I really believed them…I wouldn't feel the way I do now."

"Kakashi-sensei…"

Iruka wasn't sure what to say. What could you tell someone who couldn't see the truth…or rather, refused to see it? The chunnin didn't know how to convince him that he didn't deserve all of the blame that he had inflicted upon himself.

The Copy-Nin stared down at the ground almost absent-mindedly. What was making him admit any of this? He knew it wasn't normal for him to be so open. Usually, he kept all of his feelings cramped inside him, but somehow, like before, when he spoke to Iruka, some of the compressed tension seemed to be released little by little. He felt no different than he would had he been speaking to his inner self.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi said, shaking his head as he snapped out of it, "It's nothing for you to worry about. Really…"

"You're wrong," Iruka said suddenly.

Kakashi stared at him, surprised.

"W-what?"

Iruka bit his lip. The words had burst out of his mouth without him thinking, but he had meant them nonetheless. He paused a moment before continuing.

"I said 'you're wrong,' Kakashi-sensei," the chunnin repeated slowly, "You might think this is just your problem, but…we're a team now. Being part of a team means that you don't have to face your problems by yourself."

The jounin flinched as the Yondaime's words echoed through his head. _If you ever need someone to talk to, Kakashi, I'll listen. Teamwork means not leaving your friends to endure their burdens alone. _He remembered how his gentle blue eyes had stared at him the way Iruka's brown eyes did now, even thought he couldn't see them as clearly in the moonlight. They still _felt _the same, comforting and full of concern.

"Funny- you sound like someone I use to know…"

"Really? Who?" Iruka asked curiously.

"My sensei."

Iruka was silent. He knew very well who Kakashi's sensei had been. He still remembered the night of the Kyuubi attack and the pain he had seen in Kakashi's eyes as they had watched the Yondaime die. It seemed like so long ago now…Iruka was twice as old as he had been back then, but he his heart still harbored his own pain from that night thirteen years ago. He knew Kakashi must have still felt it too.

"He always stressed teamwork," the jounin told him, "and that's what I taught my own students as well. Funny how they never get it at first…when it's the most important part of being a ninja."

Iruka nodded.

"Your sensei was very wise."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.

"So are you," he said softly.

Now it was Iruka who turned red. He took another sip of his soup before looking back up at Kakashi carefully. Even in the near darkness, he could see Kakashi's cheerful expression. Any sign of the pain he had briefly expressed was gone. Iruka smiled back at him slowly. Despite their history of distantness, the two ninja seemed to be getting along fine. Iruka was glad that at least some trust existed between them. Kakashi's opening up to him had proved that, he decided. The chunnin had always been good at reading people. It might not have been in the job description, but it was part of being a teacher. If Kakashi hadn't trusted him a little, he wouldn't have admitted anything along the lines of feeling useless or showed any other signs of weakness, even for a moment. Ninja didn't do that. To do so would be a threat to their survival. Kakashi had let his guard down and momentarily exposed his inner thoughts instead of hiding behind a fake smile and the mask that he always wore. Looking at the jounin, Iruka realized that he trusted Kakashi as well. The jounin had taken care of him, after all.

Iruka finished up the rest of his meal and stretched.

"Well, I'm going to sleep," Iruka said finally, "It's getting late."

"Right…" Kakashi replied, but his voice drifted as if his mind were lost somewhere else.

Iruka climbed into his sleeping bag and made himself as comfortable as he possibly could, which as not much. He sighed as he wiggled away from a stone that was digging into the middle of his back before he settled down at last.

"Good night," he said to Kakashi.

"Good night, Iruka-sensei," came the reply.

A pause.

"Just 'Iruka' is fine."

And the chunnin went to sleep.

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**Yo! This chapter was longer than usual! I hope you liked it. I've already started the next one! Also uploaded today was my new short fic, Undercover Kakashi, so if you want a laugh, go check it out! Later!**


	5. Chapter 5: Partner

**A/N: I'm so sorry! I know this is long overdue (well, it's not like I gave myself an actual deadline, but I know I was slow...), but on the plus side, it is a bit longer than all the previous chapters, _and _****there is some actual plot development here (you'll see what I mean), so I hope that makes up for it. Five is my favorite and luckiest number, so you know this has to be good (being the fifth chapter and all). I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think!**

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Chapter Five: Partner **

Kakashi woke up to find Iruka ruffling through his over-sized pack and pulling out various items. The chunnin looked at him as he rose and smiled.

"Good morning!" he said cheerfully.

"'Morning," Kakashi yawned.

It felt a bit too early for him, but he figured that now that he was up, he might as well continue with his mission. He stared at Iruka curiously as the brunette pulled out some packages of instant ramen.

"I was just going to start breakfast. I don't know how you feel about ramen, but I couldn't find much around the house that I could take with me. Do you want some?"

Kakashi stared at him for a moment, taken aback by his kindness. No one had ever offered to make him breakfast since…he couldn't even remember when. Iruka held a light smile, waiting for his answer.

"Um, yeah…sure," Kakashi said finally, "I'll go see if there's anything else I can forage."

Iruka nodded, and Kakashi went off. He returned later with two handfuls of edible plants and some fruit. Iruka had a pot of water boiling over a fire. Since it was daytime, they didn't have to worry about their location being given away by the bright fire and being attacked in the dark. The chunnin took the water off the fire and poured it into the cups of ramen. Kakashi offered him half of what he had found.

"Thanks," Iruka said, taking it.

"No problem. How's the ramen coming?"

"Just three more minutes."

"Naruto's least favorite part," Kakashi commented.

"Of course," Iruka laughed.

Kakashi smiled, glad to see his partner happy. Something about it warmed him inside. He had stayed up late last night, lost deep in his own reflections. Even after Iruka had already fallen asleep, the jounin had thought about his last words to him. _Just "Iruka" is fine…_Kakashi had wondered why he hadn't answered back. Maybe he had just been too out of it to really comprehend it then, but now, it hit him so suddenly. He was on a _personal_ level with Iruka.

He thought about this, even now, _especially _now that Iruka was smiling and treating him like a friend. Of course, there had been plenty of people who had acted nice towards Kakashi, but the way Iruka did it was just so _real_. It was obvious that he wasn't just pretending to enjoy the jounin's company, the way Kakashi never doubted some ninja had. It just came naturally to him.

"Kakashi-sensei…Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi jumped in the realization that Iruka was trying to get his attention.

"Wha- oh…'Kakashi''s fine…"

Iruka stared at him for a moment and then smiled.

"Kakashi, then…Your ramen's ready."

He handed it to him.

"Thank you," Kakashi said as he took it.

He then realized that Iruka was staring intently at him, as if waiting for something.

"Hmm? Is there something wrong?" the jounin asked him.

"W-what? No!" Iruka said, startled that he had been caught in the act.

He sat down and drew some of his noodles from his cup with some chopsticks, blowing on them to cool them down a bit. The chunnin looked up at Kakashi hesitantly, and his face fell in disappointment when he realized the Copy-Nin had already "instantly" finished his ramen and that his mask was back in place. _Darn, missed it again._

"So then, I suppose we should start at the bottom of our section of the border since that's the part we're closest to and work our way around," Kakashi said, watching Iruka eat his noodles.

"All right," the chunnin agreed after he had taken down a gulp of ramen.

They left immediately after they had packed everything back up. Iruka was relieved to find his load slightly lighter as he leapt from tree branch to tree branch. He hadn't really wanted to accept Kakashi's offer to help with some of his burden, but the jounin had insisted so forcefully that Iruka had felt he had no other choice. He knew Kakashi only wanted to help him, after all, and now as he was bounding along the outside of the border, he was secretly glad he had let him.

"How long until we reach the end of our section?" Iruka inquired after a while.

"Just a few more hours," Kakashi replied, "Then we can patrol most of it again on the way home."

"Sounds good," Iruka said.

The chunnin was getting tired, though, and feared he might have to stop for a break soon. Kakashi seemed as energetic as ever, yet he still held a lazy expression in his eyes. He slowly pulled a book out of his back pocket and began to read. Iruka was slightly irritated, feeling like Kakashi was shutting him out, and at the same time, he wished he had something of his own to amuse himself, though he could do without _that _kind of book…

Boredom led to daydreams, which Iruka usually tried to avoid while on missions lest he daydream himself into an enemy's trap, but today, it was unavoidable. He thought about his students, as he always did, and wondered what they were doing. _What kind of substitute did they get stuck with this time? And what are they doing to torture that poor sub right now?_

He remembered his own days as an academy student, when he had been a lot like Naruto, pulling pranks and doing the silliest things- anything to get attention. The teachers had hated him too. They had always warned the substitutes about him ahead of time whenever he was left under their watch…and he had had such a fun time torturing them. That had been before his parents had died. Afterwards, the loneliness that had plagued him had caused him to perform even more outrageous acts in pursuit of attention, even as a genin. It had driven his sensei crazy. During their tree climbing exercise, he had tried to climb the same tree as one of his teammates, grabbing onto him on the way up in an attempt to get higher without as much effort. This had caused his teammate to lose his concentration…and his footing as well. They had both come crashing down, and Iruka, having landed on the bottom, had spent the next few months on crutches. Looking back, it had all been so stupid, but despite the pain, still amusing.

"Something funny?" Kakashi inquired.

Iruka looked at him questioningly before realizing that he had been openly smirking for seemingly no reason at all. He laughed it off.

"No, nothing," he replied, "Just old memories."

"Oh…"

"How old were you before you were able to climb trees using only chakra?" Iruka asked curiously.

The jounin thought for a moment.

"Um, let's see…About five, I think."

Iruka stared at him wide-eyed, but then shook his head. _What did you expect of a genius? _

"I broke my leg the first time I tried," Iruka said.

"Really?" Kakashi asked, "Me too…Then, I learned to climb in my crutches."

Iruka was so startled that he almost fell over. He tried to imagine a five-year-old Kakashi climbing trees with a broken leg and felt sorry for the poor kid, but awed at the same time. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but Kakashi beat him to it.

"Sakura was able to do it right away…Naruto and Sasuke didn't quit until they had mastered it as well."

"Well, they always were dedicated students," Iruka said with a smile, "Naruto… was eventually. He took a bit longer."

Kakashi nodded.

"He talked about you a lot. Seems you're the one who gave him the encouragement he needed. He was motivated by his dream…but also by you."

Iruka looked away embarrassedly. Kakashi's tone was so smooth and mellow. Something about the way he talked sent shivers down Iruka's spine, especially when he was complimenting him. The chunnin almost couldn't take it.

"N-no," Iruka stammered, "I just gave him my headband. Naruto's drive to succeed comes from within him. It's because he's so stubborn when it comes to his dream to become Hokage."

"You're important to him," Kakashi told him casually, "I bet he misses you a lot right now."

Iruka felt a bit taken aback. It was true that he had been thinking about Naruto a lot lately. Maybe this was obvious enough for the jounin to notice…Though Kakashi didn't have to notice this in order to assume someone who cared about Iruka must be missing him right now.

"He writes to me sometimes," the chunnin said, "I have to remember to check my mail when I get back…"

Kakashi gave him his one-eyed smile. Naruto had written to him too, but only once since he had left. He hadn't had much to say except that Jiraya was teaching him some cool new jutsus and to watch over Sakura for him. Kakashi hadn't gotten around to replying yet- for one thing, he didn't know exactly where Naruto was since his location kept changing. It was hard to send a letter when you didn't know the address.

"Let's stop here for lunch," Kakashi suggested a while later as they passed over a stream.

Iruka nodded. The two ninja landed on the forest floor and started rummaging through their bags. Kakashi pulled out some rope, and Iruka found some extra food that they had brought with them. While Iruka prepared a fire, Kakashi walked over to the stream to fish. He tied a thin rope to the ring of a kunai and threw it with expert skill. It pierced through a fish, and Kakashi drew the rope in to claim his catch. Iruka found plenty of wood on the forest floor and quickly started a fire. They roasted the fish and ate in silence. Iruka took out some shuriken and stared aiming at the trunks of nearby trees as he ate, trying to line them up along the bark.

Kakashi watched with mild interest until he playfully threw one of his own shuriken in the same direction, hitting one of Iruka's flying weapons and knocking it off course. The chunnin looked slightly irritated but ignored the jounin and threw another shuriken. Kakashi did the same thing, once again messing up Iruka's aim.

"Come on, now. I have to practice," Iruka told him, trying not to sound too annoyed, "I've been slacking off for far too long."

"I can help you if you want," Kakashi offered, "When we're done with lunch, we can have a little training time. I'll be your sparring partner."

Iruka thought about it for a moment. He didn't like being shown up by the jounin, but Kakashi's offer to train with him was tempting. He hadn't really had a chance to train _with _anyone for a long time. Whenever he did actually find time to train, he often had to do it alone. It could be helpful to spar with someone with more experience…and Iruka liked challenges.

"All right," he agreed finally, but took his time eating.

The last thing he wanted to do was rush into this unprepared. Kakashi didn't seem to be in any hurry. He had finished his meal rapidly, as always, but he held the same lazy expression and continued to throw kunai and shuriken at the tree as he waited patiently. When Iruka was ready, both ninja stood up and drew their weapons. Iruka stepped out into the open clearing and held his kunai in front of him defensively.

"Ready when you are," he told the Copy-Nin, but Kakashi didn't even bother to answer back.

The jounin immediately lunged for Iruka with his own kunai, aiming low. Iruka stepped out of the way a split second before Kakashi came barreling past him, barely more than a silver streak. Iruka was amazed at his own speed. He didn't have long to dwell on it, though, because Kakashi turned around just a quickly and was coming for Iruka again. Throughout the series of attacks and blocks, the chunnin concentrated more on defending himself rather than throwing out any attacks of his own. Kakashi continued to attack him relentlessly, waiting for Iruka to make a move.

"You have to strike back sooner or later."

"Can't get…an opening," Iruka grunted, frustrated.

They hadn't even been going at it for too long, and the jounin was already beginning to tire him out.

"Just try a bit harder," Kakashi told him, "Be aggressive…Like it's you or me."

Iruka pushed himself to look on their training battle as a life or death situation._ I can't-! _Iruka was getting tense. He knew it was stupid, but part of him just didn't _want _to hurt Kakashi. He shook it off as best he could. _He's a jounin. Whatever you throw at him- he can take it. Chances are I won't be able to hit him anyway…_Barely taking any more time to think, Iruka quickly jabbed a fist into Kakashi's abdomen. It took him a moment to register that he had hit him at all. Iruka gawked at the Copy-Nin for a moment. _How-?_

The jounin grunted and took a step back. He was just as surprised, though he tried to convince himself that he had _let_ the chunnin hit him on purpose. _Maybe I underestimated him…_

"Lucky shot," he said with a hidden smile, "but I bet you could do better."

Iruka snapped out of it in time to counter Kakashi as he attacked him fiercely. Iruka was determined to hold out against the jounin, even if he was below him in rank. After getting hit, Kakashi wasn't about to go too easy on him, though. He crouched down and swung his leg, knocking Iruka's feet out from under him. Iruka barely had time to think before he found himself on the floor, staring up at the high branches of the trees outlining the sky. He seemed dazed for a moment, and when the chunnin made no motion to get up right away, the Copy-Nin stared at him, confused.

"It's too early to give up," he said with a laugh, offering Iruka a glove-covered hand.

Iruka didn't answer. Instead, he swung his own leg at Kakashi's ankles while still lying on the ground. Before the jounin knew it, he was on the floor next to the chunnin.

"Who said I was giving up?" Iruka asked with a sly smile and immediately leapt to his feet.

The jounin smirked beneath his mask and jumped up to continue the mock battle. Kunai clanged against each other as the two continued to fight. Eventually, they moved on to simple genjustu and ninjustu, though this tired out both jounin and chunnin, turning what was supposed to be a quick practice into advanced genin-level training. Kakashi had just come out of hiding to tell a panting Iruka that they should save their energy for their actual mission, when a kunai zipped past his head, missing him by a hair before embedding itself in the trunk of the tree behind him. The jounin jumped in surprise and stared at the chunnin, wide-eyed.

"Hey, careful! I was just about to tell you that we're done."

Iruka stared at him, confused and slightly nervous.

"I didn't throw it."

Both ninja stiffened and turned to face the direction that the kunai had come from. They held their defensive stances and waited for the enemy to show themselves. Kakashi uncovered his sharingan and tried to figure out where their attacker was hiding. He sensed that there was more than one. He didn't have to wait long, though. They appeared of their own wills, emerging from the trees before them.

"Two Leaf ninja alone? Hardly a challenge," one scoffed.

"Do not speak so hastily," another one warned, noting the silver-haired jounin in front of him,"Is that not Sharingan Kakashi?"

"Ha," a third sneered, "There're enough of us here to handle a _legend_."

"Who are you?" Iruka demanded, clutching his kunai tightly.

"Oh, someone's feisty," an enemy ninja mocked, "Are you going to tear all of us apart with that toy?"

Iruka's fist shook slightly, but he held his glare and answered the ninja with silence. Kakashi didn't look too pleased with their company himself.

"What do you want?" he asked, "I take it you didn't come here just to chat."

"You're right," one, apparently the leader, said, "We noticed the increasing weakness of your pathetic village and thought that we'd take it to our advantage. Are you really alone? Only _two _ninja?"

He wasn't convinced, Kakashi could tell, as he watched the leader of the enemy ninja's eyes sweep back and forth over the clearing, as if expecting there to be reinforcements hiding in the bushes and trees behind them. The Copy-Nin wouldn't have minded the help, to be honest.

"The two of us will be more than enough for you to handle," Kakashi told them.

Kakashi didn't enjoy making long speeches any more than he enjoyed listening to them. Besides, the enemy didn't look like they were going to wait for him to say any more. Though he wanted more information, he knew he probably wouldn't be able to get it until the enemy was beaten down. Kakashi only hoped that he'd be able to back up his words. _"Don't you have faith in yourself as a ninja?"_ Iruka's question echoed through his head. He knew he couldn't deny what his inner self knew. _It won't take much to mess this up, but still…_He glanced over at his partner. The chunnin had stood up to their attackers first. If he could be so bold and confident, Kakashi knew that part of him would have to be as well._ Pushovers. I can do this. I **have** to do this! _Maybe it was Iruka's presence that had restored some of his confidence. Kakashi didn't have much time to think about it.

The leader charged at him directly, kunai in hand. Kakashi countered him easily, forcing his opponent to pull back and try his attack again. The Copy-Nin was more than ready for him. He blocked a kunai trust aimed at his stomach and turned around to slash at a new adversary attacking from behind him. Kakashi pulled out some shuriken from his leg hostler and threw them at both enemies, in front and behind him, aiming for their vital points and landing direct hits. After both of his opponents had fallen, more appeared, however, and Kakashi found himself surrounded. _This is going to be tough_, he thought. He had taken down the leader, which was good- with any chance, the rest of the team would fall apart…but there were so many of them! Kakashi could feel his heart pumping in his chest. The training itself had been enough to tire him out. _Will I have enough chakra to get through this fight?_ He had no choice but to see how far his limits would take him.

Iruka wasn't having a much easier time. He already had a few scratches from the kunai and shuriken he had not been able to block or dodge completely. He was currently facing three opponents, and though the odds were far from fair, the chunnin was still putting forth his greatest effort. _The Fifth did say this area would be dangerous…I just wish I didn't feel so out of practice and unprepared. _Iruka fended them off as best he could, though they came at him from all directions. He was panting heavily, and sweat was beginning to run down his neck. _Got to keep going…Don't give up! _All three jumped at him at once, brandishing their weapons- an attack that was impossible to block. As they pounced onto the chunnin, however, they were surprised to find that their target had vanished in a single "_pou," _and a log was all that was left in his place. Iruka took their shock at his substitution jutsu to his advantage and slipped in behind them, striking two of them down before they even had the chance to know what had hit them. The remaining ninja gasped as he watched his comrades fall before him, but recovered quickly enough to block Iruka as the he came for him next. He forced the chunnin to take a step back and swiftly kicked his feet out from under him. Iruka gasped as he fell to the floor, but remembering his training with Kakashi, used his position on the floor to swing his leg at his opponent's ankles, bringing him to his level. Iruka quickly sprang to his feet and dove down upon his fallen opponent, kunai pointed at his throat. The enemy ninja was not willing to die so quickly, though. He wasted no time kicking up into Iruka's stomach before the chunnin's weapon could reach its target. Iruka grunted in pain, dropping his kunai to the ground. He staggered back, but was careful not to let down his guard. His hand reached down to get another weapon, but his opponent didn't give him the opportunity. A fistful of senbon flew at the chunnin and embedded themselves in his shoulder, piercing deep into his skin. Iruka cried out in pain and clutched his injured arm.

Across the clearing, Kakashi turned his head at the sound of his partner's scream. _Iruka! _There was a thud and incredible pain in his head as his opponent struck him during his moment of distraction.

"Urgh…" Kakashi grunted as he staggered back a few steps.

He put his hand up to his head and tried to make sense of what was happening. He felt slightly dizzy, but was able to block the next kick that was aimed for his stomach. He held onto his opponent's leg and used it to knock him off balance. Then, he raced across the field.

"Your fight's with me!" his opponent yelled angrily from the floor.

Kakashi ignored him and dodged the round of shuriken the enemy threw after the Copy-Nin as he made his way over to where Iruka was. The chunnin was now defending himself with a kunai held in his good hand as his opponent came at him fiercely, intent to kill flashing in his dark eyes. Without use of his left arm, Iruka was unable to form any hand seals and thus, was even more vulnerable to attack. He knocked his opponent back and braced himself for the next attack, but the enemy didn't come at him right away. Instead, he began to form his own hand seals with an evil grin on his face.

Iruka gasped as the world around him suddenly went black. He couldn't move! His mind began to feel hazy, and he lost track of where he was. _What am I doing? _he thought wearily.Suddenly, grass appeared beneath his feet, and the sky turned a light, peaceful blue. The clouds drifted by lazily, and Iruka could feel the wind on his face. _W-where am I? This place…**feels** familiar, but I don't remember where I've seen it before…_

"Iruka!"

He turned his head towards the sound of his name, but couldn't believe what he saw. He trembled as a figure approached him from the distance. It had been so long since he had seen her face that he thought he had almost forgotten what it looked like, except for the photos that he kept throughout his house to remind him. She looked so much the same- her long brown hair and tan skin that matched his…She looked upon him with his own brown eyes.

"Mom…"

"Iruka…You've grown up."

Her voice cracked as her eyes filled with tears, and Iruka felt her arms wrap around him tightly. He was frozen in shock. As she held him, he felt himself growing smaller and smaller until his body was that of a child. He buried his face in her shoulder and breathed in her familiar scent. He couldn't stop shaking. His mother held him closer, squeezing him tighter and tighter. Iruka couldn't breathe, but he didn't resist, either. _Mom…_

"Kai!" a voice shouted.

Iruka blinked, and suddenly, Kakashi's face was before him. The Copy-Nin breathed a sigh of relief. Iruka gasped suddenly as his lungs fought for air, and he realized that he had just been on the verge of suffocating. The jounin was breathing heavily himself, obviously more than a little worn out. Kakashi had broken the genjutsu just in time, however, and now its caster lay dead behind him.

"Be careful- there's still more," the jounin warned him, not even giving Iruka a chance to thank him.

Iruka, still feeling a little out of breath and light-headed, stood back to back with his partner, prepared for the next attack. Their enemies were hidden now, but Kakashi knew that they were still there. His chakra was running low- he had wasted no time unleashing hischidori on Iruka's attacker, killing him instantly. He was using his sharigan now to search the trees and bushes for their enemies, but they were masking their presence too well. Kakashi sighed and covered his blood-red eye in order to save the last of his chakra.

No sooner had Kakashi replaced his headband that a fleet of enemy ninja suddenly swept down upon them from the highest part of the trees and surrounded them.

"We want the Copy-Nin alive," one grunted to the rest, "Keep the other one as a hostage…or kill him if he becomes too troublesome."

There was something different about this group. _Reinforcements? It couldn't be… _There were noticeably more of them, Kakashi decided. With Iruka and him in the condition that they were, they would be forced to retreat.

"Iruka, be prepared to make an escape," Kakashi told the chunnin.

"What? No!" Iruka hissed, "If we let them slip past us, they'll be free to make their way to the village! We can't let that happen!"

"If we die here, it will happen anyway," the jounin said plainly, "At least we can have a chance to warn them. There are too many enemies here. We can't win."

Iruka grunted in frustration, but knew that Kakashi was right.

"Head in the direction of the stream," Kakashi whispered and without another word, created a mass of clones to divert the enemies' attention.

Replicas of the jounin leapt at the enemy ninja, attacking them head on while the real Kakashi mingled with them, fighting his way through the tough ring of opponents. Iruka wished he was able to use such a trick, but no sooner had the thought crossed his mind that the noticed that there _were _replicas of him fighting alongside the mass of Kakashis. The jounin must have created them for his benefit. Iruka was thankful for the distraction, and did as Kakashi had told him- he headed for the stream.

It was difficult to get through the enemy ninja with only one good arm, but Iruka managed it. With the clones to cover him, he was able to make it to the safety of the brush and to the riverbank. He bounded from tree to tree, desperate to get as far away from that clearing as he could. Kakashi was sure to be right behind him…At least that's what he had thought. It wasn't until he had made his way a good distance upriver that he realized that the jounin was nowhere near him. _Kakashi? _Iruka panicked. Did the enemy have him? Had he somehow not been able to escape?

Without even stopping to think, Iruka rushed back towards the clearing. _What am I doing? I'm going to get myself killed! _The chunnin was trying to calm himself down, though he was not being too successful. _Kakashi's a jounin! He can handle himself! _Then, Iruka thought back to how weary Kakashi had looked after freeing him from that genjutsu. If he had been low on chakra then, how had creating all of these clones affected him? Some of those clones had been for Iruka…He couldn't abandon him now!

He burst into the clearing and was shocked to find it empty. He glanced around again and again, heart racing. _Where did they go? _There weren't even any more bodies lying around indicated that Kakashi had defeated them. Everyone had simply disappeared. Iruka suddenly stiffened as he felt someone breathing right next to his ear.

"Looking for someone?" a voice sneered.

There was a thud at the back of his neck, and Iruka collapsed to the ground, worried eyes scanning the field one last time before his vision finally went black.

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**Next- Chapter Six: Shackled **

**A/N: First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who's been reviewing so far! If you haven't gotten a reply from me saying thanks, please shoot me. I really appreciate your feedback! This chapter was so difficult to write! It's been such a long time since I've done a battle scene. I hope I didn't mess this one up. Suggestions and criticizism are welcomed. I hope I'm moving the story at the right pace and not making anyone go terribly OOC. Bwhahaha! You've been left with an evil cliffhanger! Just when you thought I couldn't get any worse! XD I can't wait to write the next chapter! Please leave a review and maybe I'll hurry up for you (for real this time)! Check my profile page for updates on my progress if you want to know how far I am or when I think the next chapter is going to come out...or just message me. I love hearing from you! Thank you so much! Later. -K.I.**


	6. Chapter 6: Shackled

**A/N: Yay! This didn't take me too long, now did it? XD Well, I still had issues editing it. I wasn't sure if I should cut any of the scenes, but I ended up keeping most of it in, so I hope you enjoy! This is one of the angstier chapters in this story, but we've just about hit the climax, so what do you expect? I'm sure you want to find out what happens already, so I'll leave you to it!

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**Chapter Six: Shackled**

_"Iruka, your sensei talked to me today. Seems you've been giving some of your classmates a hard time."_

"_I was only messing around with them, Dad. They were being mean to me too."_

_A sigh. Iruka felt a large hand place itself on his head. His father's tone was serious. His father's voice was usually so carefree and happy. Iruka felt guilty for making himsound this way._

"_You should try to get along with your classmates. Someday, you might be relying on them to help you get through a mission or even to save your life. Shinobi need to respect each other. Your teammates will always make you stronger..."_

"Mmm…" Iruka grunted as he wearily opened his eyes, the voices of his dream having drifted away.

It was cold and dim where he sat on the stone floor of some unfamiliar place. Iruka couldn't make sense of it right away. _Where am I? What was I- Kakashi! _Iruka immediately tried to rise from his sitting position, only to find that his arms were tightly shackled to the wall. The only light that poured into the dim area came through the bars of the door, and the chunnin realized that he was trapped within a prison cell. He let out a grunt of frustration and pulled at the chains uselessly. _Damn it! _Iruka slumped back onto the floor, shaking with anger and fear. He had never been prepared for this.

Moments later, there was a creak at the door, and two enemy ninja walked into the prison area. They each carried a katana at their sides and took every step with a powerful thump, as if trying to intimidate their prisoners. Iruka glared at them fiercely as they approached his cell. The guards each gave the chunnin an amused smile.

"So this is the coward who tried to run away," one mocked, "Left his teammate behind and just fled to save his own skin. Ha! Shows you what the Leaf village has come to. Nothing but cowards."

"That's not true!" Iruka yelled at him, unable to contain his anger, "I went back! I didn't abandon him…" Iruka choked slightly before glaring back at his captors dangerously, "Where is Kakashi? What have you done with him?"

He realized that his heart was racing. Even though Iruka was known for his temper in his classrooms, he usually tried to retain his composure outside of the academy…and _especially_ in such dangerous situations. For some reason, however, his concern and anxiety was causing him to break out of his disciplined mannerism and instead, he felt close to panicking.

"Relax," the other enemy sneered at him, "He's not dead yet. We just need him for a little…questioning. You and your precious Copy-Nin can die together…after we've finished with you."

Iruka grunted.

"If you've hurt him-"

"What? Are you going to break out of your chains and take revenge? Those special shackles are slowly draining your chakra. You'll never have enough to use any jutsu!"

It was true- Iruka could feel his bonds slowly stealing his strength away from him. He almost hadn't realized how weak he felt from the shackles sucking up his chakra. There was still enough left to keep him alive, but Iruka knew any type of jutsu would be impossible.

"Just who are you?" the chunnin demanded.

"Us?" the first ninja scoffed, "That's none of your concern- just consider us the last clan of renegade ninja you'll ever see."

And with that, Iruka's captors continued patrolling the cells, possibly on their way to torment more prisoners. Iruka was left alone with his thoughts, which were no less brutal. _Why didn't I just keep on going? I could have at least warned the village…Now they'll all suffer because of me. And Kakashi…How can he be saved now? _He thought about his students in the academy and their families. Had he sealed their fate? All the people he saw on the streets and in the mission room, his acquaintances, his coworkers… all gone? Because of him. And now he and Kakashi were both going to die because Iruka had failed.

"I should have listened to you," he growled to no one, "I should have kept on going!"

"Yeah…I wish you had."

Iruka froze. The voice was deep and familiar, but how could he…

"Kakashi!"

The jounin answered him with a grunt. Iruka could hear chains clanking against the stone, right next to his head. Kakashi must have been in the cell next to him, on the other side of the wall. Iruka could sense that his chakra was dangerously low- so low that he almost wasn't able to sense it at all.

"How long have you been awake?" Iruka asked hesitantly.

"Since just a little bit before you came to," the jounin replied, "Though before that, I was drifting in and out of consciousness."

Iruka felt his face turn red. _Then he must have heard what I said to the guards! _Iruka realized in panic._ "If you've hurt him-" _If nothing else killed him first, Iruka knew he would eventually die of embarrassment. Kakashi didn't say anything about the conversation he had overheard at first, but after a few moments of silence had passed, Iruka heard his voice come through the wall.

"Why did you come back for me?"

"Why do you think?" Iruka asked sternly, "I knew something had happened to you! You told me to meet you at the stream, but you never came! I thought-"

"You were suppose to have kept going," Kakashi said in a low voice.

Iruka froze for a moment, and suddenly gaped with realization. His chains clanged angrily as he turned to shout at the wall.

"You planned that, didn't you! You planned on staying behind! You knew you weren't going to make it out of there, so you had me go ahead!"

"…"

Kakashi let out a sigh. It seemed the chunnin had finally figured it out. He hadn't wanted to say anything…The Copy-Nin knew Iruka would have never listened to him if he had known the details of the jounin's plan.

"It's what I had to do," he said finally, "for the village...especially your students. Both of us making it out was impossible, but one…"

Iruka felt a shiver go down his spine.

"I wanted it to be you," the jounin finished with hurt in his voice.

Something suddenly hurt the chunnin's nose. He rubbed the scar on his face against his shoulder and stifled a sob. There was no fighting it- Iruka let the tears fall slowly from his eyes and run down his cheeks to drip from his chin. He was glad Kakashi wasn't able to see it. It had been a long time since Iruka had last cried. He blamed a lot of things- his hopeless situation, the fate that awaited Konoha…but mostly the fact that Kakashi had been willing to sacrifice himself for him. Iruka couldn't take it.

"Did you really think," he began once he had recovered a bit, "that I would have left you behind?"

Silence. Kakashi glanced down at the prison floor sadly. He had told himself that Iruka didn't care about since before the mission had started, but now…he could see that he really had been lying to himself the whole time. _And it took me this long to figure it out…_

"I should have known," Kakashi sighed, "One more failure in my book."

Despite his frustration and anger, Iruka couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. _Maybe the one I'm really disappointed in is myself- that I couldn't save anyone…_He sighed. The jounin was silent. Iruka didn't doubt that he felt the same way he did. Having Konoha's fate on your shoulders was an incredible burden, one both ninjas had been trained their entire lives to endure.

"This isn't as much your fault as mine," Iruka told him, "If I had listened to you, maybe Konoha would have been safe."

"They won't attack just yet," Kakashi said, "Not until they're done with us."

Iruka raised his eyebrows.

"With the 'questioning'?"

"That," Kakashi replied, "and they might try to use us as bait too. Or ransom, who knows?"

The Copy-Nin's uncertainty wasn't making the chunnin feel any better. Iruka would have given anything to get out of this or just to know that Konoha would be safe even if he were killed.

"We have to get out of here," Iruka grunted, "We have to warn them."

He could hear Kakashi's chains shifting in the cell next to his. The Copy-Nin let out a groan in pain as he moved. Iruka frowned, wondering what kind of condition his partner was in. He must have been seriously injured for the enemies to have been able to drag him back here…though Iruka imagined that he had probably collapsed from chakra exhaustion.

"Maybe…there's a way," Kakashi's voice said.

"What is it?" Iruka asked desperately.

_Is there really a way for us to get out of this?_

"There was jutsu I learned once," the jounin muttered weakly, "A chakra transfer jutsu…but I don't know if I have the energy-"

"Then don't try it yet," Iruka said suddenly, "You should save your strength until you get some more of your chakra back. The chains will let you keep enough to stay alive, maybe more than you have right now. If you collapse, though, we'll both be stuck here forever. I can't get out of here alone."

The jounin laughed softly.

"You need to have more faith in yourself. Don't underestimate your abilities."

"If I were stronger, we wouldn't be in this mess right now," Iruka mumbled softly to himself.

Kakashi gave a weak smile he knew the chunnin couldn't see.

"You have a different kind of strength, Iruka. You care so much about the people around you…and you're not afraid to do so even though you know you might lose them someday. That takes courage."

The chunnin was silent for a moment. He thought of all those who he had been close to who had been taken away from him. His parents, the Third Hokage, all those people he had only known for so long before he never saw them again… Each death had hurt him so badly, but he knew that he would never give the time he shared with them back for anything. It was better for him to have had them in his life for only a short time than never at all…

"The old shinobi rules teach you to leave your emotions behind when you go into battle," Iruka said quietly, "but to do that, you couldn't be human. Ties are what give us a purpose to fight on…and emotions are not something you can simply cast aside at will. You're not just a tool, Kakashi."

Kakashi felt a slight pain in Obito's eye. _He's so much like you…_

"Yeah…I know."

Iruka noted the jounin's defeated tone. He had been so willing to throw his life away to save him, and Iruka still couldn't figure out why this bothered him so much. Would he have done the same in Kakashi's position? Like the jounin had said, it was for the good of the village…but was that all there was to it? Iruka found himself wanting to believe there was something more- a deeper reason. The same reason the chunnin had gone back for Kakashi even though his mind had been screaming against it. Something that left reason itself behind. Iruka sensed much hidden beneath the Copy-nin's surface…and it sparked new curiosity.

"Kakashi? Can I ask you something?"

"What?" the jounin answered hesitantly.

"Why do you always wear a mask on your face?"

Kakashi didn't answer right away. For one thing, he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to the chunnin about this. He had never spoken openly about such things before…especially since the last of those close to him had died. He remembered that his sensei had asked the same thing. Kakashi had been wearing the mask ever since he joined the Yondaime's team, but not regularly…not until his father died, that is.

"_Kakashi, you hardly ever take that mask off now. How come?_

_A seven-year-old Kakashi stared back at him, but said nothing in response. His sensei looked upon him with kind blue eyes, trying to understand his student. _You're always so hard to read, Kakashi_, he thought to himself. The ability to read people was one of the things that made the future Yondaime such an excellent shinobi, however, so he analyzed his student carefully before speaking again._

"_Is it because of…your father?"_

_The young ninja flinched. He could feel his throat going dry and tears filling his eyes, but he bit down on his lip hard. _No! Shinobi don't cry! _Kakashi couldn't help shaking, though. He gasped with surprise as his sensei wrapped his arms around him and held his head to his shoulder. Kakashi attempted to break free, embarrassed by his sensei's sudden show of emotions. His sensei didn't release him, however. He just shushed in his ear until Kakashi had stopped struggling. Once he had calmed down, his sensei spoke softly to him._

"_It's okay," he told him, "You shouldn't harbor so much pain inside of you. Dealing with hardships is part of being a ninja, but if you let them consume you, you'll just end up destroying yourself from the inside out. If you ever need someone to talk to, Kakashi, I'll listen. Teamwork means not leaving your friends to endure their burdens alone."_

"_B-but I look just like him," Kakashi choked, "Everyone says I remind them of him."_

"_Is that a bad thing? Your father was a great shinobi, Kakashi. It doesn't matter what people say about him. He valued his teammates' lives more than his honor. You might not understand it now, but that was a very brave act."_

_Kakashi couldn't hold back the tears that were fighting to escape. He finally gave in and started sobbing into his sensei's vest. He couldn't be more ashamed. What would people say if they saw him crying? The son of the White Fang- nothing more than a weakling. The young silver-haired ninja choked back his tears. His small fist trembled as it clutched onto his sensei's vest._

"_Sensei…"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Please don't tell anyone…" _

_He felt the arms close around him more tightly._

"_I won't."_

Iruka noted the jounin's silence and realized that maybe he had been wrong to ask a question that could have such a personal answer. Of course, if it had been someone else, such as one of his students, the Copy-Nin might have laughed it off with something like, "To hide my good looks, of course. If I didn't wear it, every woman in Konoha would stalk me endlessly!" But this was not just anyone, the jounin realized. Something about Iruka made him want to give a truthful answer for once. Even Kakashi himself couldn't understand it. Iruka- the only one Kakashi felt truly cared about him now that everyone else was gone…He didn't deserve a lie.

"This is the face…of my father," he answered finally, "Every time I look in the mirror, I see him. Other people see him in me too…Everyone who ever knew him tells me that we have the same face. I couldn't take it- especially when I was younger. I hid behind the mask more and more until it became a part of me. I've been wearing it for so long that without it, I feel exposed."

"Your father…the White Fang?"

"Yeah."

Iruka hadn't heard much about him, truthfully. He had been very young when Kakashi's father had died, but as he had grown older, he had heard legends of a ninja as respected as the Sannin who had met his end by his own hand after breaking the shinobi code by abandoning his mission to save his teammates. Iruka had eventually discovered Kakashi's relationship to him. Judging by Kakashi's tone, the mention of Hatake Sakumo was painful for him.

"I'm sorry," Iruka said finally.

"You don't have to be," Kakashi replied, "Really."

Silence. Neither ninja could explain it, but there was something briefly present between them right then- some sort of understanding, a connection that was rooted from the common ground that they shared. Both understood the pain of losing a father. _We're really not so different, _the younger ninja thought.

"I didn't mean to make you get into that," Iruka told the jounin guiltily.

Kakashi laughed weakly. Maybe he could find a way to make Iruka feel a bit less guilty…

"Now it's my turn," he said, "I get to ask you a question."

"W-what? What do you want to know?" the chunnin inquired nervously.

"How did you get that scar on your face?"

Iruka stiffened in surprise, but soon sighed with relief. That wasn't such a difficult question to answer.

"Oh, this? I've had it forever…When I was younger, I use to believe I was born with it, for a while," he laughed, "but of course, you can't be born with scars, so my mother told me the truth about how I got it. When I was very young, my father use to take me to the training grounds to watch the young ninja practice. Even back then, I was so excited about being a ninja, I would run around the training grounds and get in everyone's way. My mother said there was an accident, and I got cut across the face by some stupid kid who was throwing kunai and shuriken carelessly."

Iruka laughed again, but heard no response from Kakashi. In the next cell over, the Copy-Nin was wide-eyed and holding his breath in one silent gasp. When he spoke, his voice was slightly shaky.

"H-how old were you?"

"Huh? Probably only about five or so…maybe younger."

Silence.

"I'm sorry," came a whisper.

"What?" the chunnin asked, confused.

_What is he apologizing for?_

"That stupid kid? I think it might have been me."

"WHAT?"

"It was such a long time ago…I don't remember it that well, but when I was still learning how to handle my weapons, I injured a little kid at the training grounds. I think it was a large gash across the nose, now that I think about it..."

Iruka couldn't believe it- the one who had left him with this distinctive scar across his face…Hatake Kakashi? He wasn't angry- just surprised; shocked, too, that the mystery behind his scar had finally been fully solved. Iruka could almost feel Kakashi's guilt seeping through the walls of his cell.

"Don't worry about it," the chunnin reassured him, "It was an accident, and we were both very young. There's no need to dwell on the past."

"Yeah…but I'm sorry anyway."

Iruka smiled to himself and heard the jounin's chains rattle as Kakashi attempted to get himself into a more comfortable position. It was hard to be comfortable when your wrists were chained to a wall and you were suffering from fresh battle wounds, however. Kakashi let out a groan.

"They even took away my Icha-Icha Violence…This _is_ torture."

Iruka couldn't help but laugh softly at that. He wasn't sure if the jounin had meant to be funny, but to be thinking about that book at a time like _this_, seriously. Iruka was glad to have something to laugh about. He could just barely sense the weakened chakra of the other prisoners trapped here. Now and then, he heard the soft rattle of chains moving in other cells next to his and Kakashi's. By the stench of the dungeon, Iruka could tell that some were either dead or had been there and extremely long time. He shuddered slightly.

"Kakashi?"

"Hmm?"

"After we try this chakra transfer jutsu…how are we going to get out of here?"

Kakashi thought for a moment.

"We need a distraction," the jounin replied quietly, "Given our situation, it seems a jailbreak would be best…All of these prisoners escaping would give us a good cover."

"We'll have to work quickly, then," Iruka said, "Otherwise, we won't stand a chance of escaping here. There's bound to be plenty more guards around…"

"I think I'm almost ready," Kakashi told him, "Just a little more chakra…"

"Don't rush yourself!" Iruka said worriedly, but no sooner had he said this that he felt a sudden burst of energy as Kakashi's chakra poured into him.

"But-" the chunnin protested.

"Work quickly. We don't have much time," the Copy-nin said weakly and then fell silent.

Iruka knew he was right. The shackles were already starting to suck his new supply of chakra away. Quickly focusing all his chakra in his arms, the chunnin used his increased strength to break free of the shackles. The chain was torn from the wall, and Iruka could feel his lost chakra slowly returning to him. He let out a few gasps as he recovered from the overexertion. He hadn't used chakra like that for quite a while. He usually had no need to. For a moment, Iruka wondered why breaking out of those shackles had been so much easier than he had expected. _Well, it was **Kakashi's **chakra. _Speaking of which…

"Kakashi!"

No answer. Iruka rushed to the bars of his cell.

"Kakashi?"

He could sense no chakra coming from the cell next to his. Iruka panicked. Fumbling through the bandages wrapped around his thigh, Iruka found a hidden pin that he hadn't been able to reach before when he had been chained to the wall. He reached through the bars and immediately started picking the lock to his cell. With the chakra-sucking shackles, the enemy hadn't seemed to see much need for too much advanced security. The cell door opened easily.

Once free, Iruka ran to the door of Kakashi's cell and found the jounin completely passed out. _Fool. I told him to wait, _Iruka thought worriedly as he entered Kakashi's cell and started working on removing the Copy-nin's shackles. Kakashi groaned slightly, but didn't open his eyes.

"'Ruka…" he mumbled.

"Yeah, I'm right here," the chunnin replied softly, unclamping the jounin's right wrist, "We're going to get out of here soon…"

Once Kakashi's arms were free, Iruka slowly lifted the Copy-nin over his shoulder and stood up. He couldn't help but laugh slightly. So far, it had always been Kakashi who had been carrying him, even back during the Kyuubi attack when they were just kids…but now, things had suddenly gotten switched around. Iruka grunted as he made his way back out of the cell. Though his chakra was returning, the chunnin was far from full strength.

"Damn, you're heavy," he choked out with a smile.

He could feel Kakashi's chest rise and fall against him with each breath the Copy-nin took. _At least he's alive_, Iruka thought, relieved. He knew that the jounin could have died from chakra depletion; what bothered him the most, however, was that while performing the justu, Kakashi hadn't seemed to care.

Iruka frowned with the realization that it would be difficult if not inefficient to carry the jounin around with him as he worked quickly to release the other prisoners and initiate a jailbreak. He reluctantly sat Kakashi down outside the cell and rushed to the next cell and freed the captive within it. To each prisoner, he gave the same message.

"The only way we're all going to get out of here is if we work together and break out all at once. When I set you free, make sure you unlock as many cells as possible before running out of here. Selfishness will get you killed."

Some of the more honor-bound ninja heeded Iruka's words, but the chunnin was not blind to those who rushed out without even a word of thanks or the intention to take orders from him. He didn't have time to deal with them. Once Iruka saw that all the captives had fled their cells, he made his way back to where he had left Kakashi.

He froze as he reached the spot where he had left the Copy-nin. No Kakashi. Iruka panicked and ran along the empty cells, searching desparately. Had someone moved him? Maybe the guards had caught on to their plan and were now setting up a trap to recapture all of the prisoners. Iruka stopped as he reached the end of the row, where a familiar figure stood, unlocking one final cell that the chunnin had missed. He looked battered, but at least he was conscious. He released the captive and beamed as the academy teacher approached him. Kakashi gave Iruka a one-eyed smile.

"Ready to get out of here, then?"

A grin crept across Iruka's face.

"Let's."

In the midst of the confusion they had started, the two ninja ran through what they confirmed was the enemy's headquarters. Most of the guards that had been summoned to stop the escapees had already been slain by the time Kakashi and Iruka passed through the area that they had been guarding. Since their weapons had been taken away, they had to rely mainly on their taijutsu to get past the enemy ninja that stood between them and their freedom. Kakashi didn't dare risk any jutsus now that his chakra was so low. Iruka tried to save as much of his energy as he could; he knew he would need it once they were outside and on the run back to Konoha. His arm still hurt as well, and he couldn't move it quickly enough to form any seals anyway. On final opponent fell by Kakashi's hand before a large window with moonlight pouring through it was visible in front of the chunnin and jounin. Iruka wasted no time breaking through it, and took one glance behind him to make sure that Kakashi was right behind him. _I won't leave you behind again…_The Copy-nin quickly followed Iruka's path, and finally, the two ninja slipped away into the cover of the night.

* * *

**Next: Chapter Seven! It doesn't have a title yet...**

**A/N: Hope the ending of this chapter wasn't too rushed. I didn't want to drag it out, though. This chapter mostly focused on Iruka, but Kakashi will have a bigger part in the next one! Unfortunately our two favorite ninja aren't safe just yet. I'm such a sucker for young Iruka and Kakashi, so excuse the flashbacks. XD I know that Yondaime quote keeps showing up like every other chapter, but at least I put a story around it this time... Anyways, I figure this story's got another two chapters or so to go before it's over. I don't want it to end...I'll probably have to write a sequel or something. I think this chapter's my fav so far! Can you believe it? I've hit 44 pages on Word! That's with spaces between paragraphs, though. I really appreciate the feedback I've been getting. It keeps me motivated! Had a favorite part? Let me know in a _review_! Thanks! Later! **

**-K.I. **


	7. Chapter 7: You or Me

**A/N: Yes! I'm so excited that I finally have this one out. It's the chapter I've been waiting to write. XD Hopefully, you'll enjoy it. Possible tear-jerker, depending on how easily you cry. I also think I've been influenced by the yaoi I've been reading lately, so um (cough) sorry if it shows. XD I had to mess with the last scene a bit before I was satisfied with it. Quite a bit of mushy stuff ahead, but I'll save most of it for the final chapter since this one's mostly action. I hope everything came out okay. Happy reading!****

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**Chapter Seven: You or Me**

Iruka was in the lead, leaping from branch to branch and clearing a path for Kakashi, who after fighting his way through the last of the guards, was completely exhausted. The Copy-nin hadn't exactly been too fit to begin with. His chakra was still drained, and the wounds he had collected before he had been captured were slowing him down. The jounin grunted as he struggled to keep up with Iruka. He noticed that the chunnin was constantly looking over his shoulder, making sure that he hadn't lost sight of the Copy-nin.

The young academy teacher wasn't in much better shape. His injured arm hung loosely at his side, and he felt a prickling pain from his smaller wounds. He kept himself going for Kakashi's sake, however. He didn't want to be the one slowing them down. The two of them had been running for quite a while now. _We must have lost them…_Iruka thought as he landed on the next tree branch, panting heavily. Kakashi leapt in next to him.

"Why are you stopping?" the jounin questioned wearily.

"Haven't we…escaped them yet?" Iruka asked back, completely out of breath.

Kakashi shook his head.

"They're still after us. I can sense them…"

Iruka tried to detect their enemy's presence, but was unsuccessful. Beside him, Kakashi grunted in pain and suddenly staggered forward. Iruka quickly reached out and caught him.

"Careful!" the chunnin told him worriedly, "Those are bad wounds. Maybe you should treat them before we move on…"

The jounin shook his head again.

"They're too close…"

"Let's try to stray them from our path then," Iruka insisted, "Do you think you can you send out some clones? It'd do it myself but…"

He gazed down at his injured arm guiltily. While it might be possible to form some hand seals with it if he pushed himself, the chunnin knew that it would be incredibly painful and that the jutsu would be more than likely unsuccessful. Kakashi understood.

"I can try," the silver-haired ninja replied, trying to keep the doubt out of his voice.

He knew he was low on energy and chakra, but this was something he needed to do. Whether they made it home alive or not depended on it. _I have to try_, the jounin thought, focusing. After one failed attempt, he successfully produced two clones- one of himself and another of Iruka. The Copy-nin sent them on ahead.

"Those clones might be able to fool the enemy for a while," Kakashi said, "but eventually, they'll realize that they aren't really us. We'll have to move quickly."

Iruka nodded.

"Let's take care of your injuries."

"Don't worry about me," Kakashi told him, "You should take care of yourself. That arm injury isn't minor."

Iruka clutched his aching limb. He could barely move it without feeling incredible pain shoot up into his shoulder. He tried rolling up his sleeve to access the wound, but it hurt badly and he wasn't able to treat the worst part of his shoulder, where the fabric was all bunched. He unzipped his vest and removed it before peeling the black long-sleeved shirt off painfully with his good arm. After smearing ointment on his shoulder and bandaging it up messily with one hand, he turned to Kakashi, who was now sitting down on the tree branch. The Copy-nin was treating the numerous gashes and scratches on his body. Though he had taken off his vest and shirt as well, his mask still remained.

"Are you okay?" Iruka asked the jounin, who was busy rubbing ointment on his chest.

The Copy-nin looked up at him with a light smile in spite of the pain he was feeling as his fingers spread the smooth ointment over his wounds.

"Yes, just fine. I've had worse than this…but I'm out of ointment."

"Here," Iruka offered, as he stepped behind the jounin, "Let me help you."

At first, Kakashi refused, but Iruka was able to treat the wounds on his back that the Copy-nin couldn't reach easily, so finally, he gave in. The jounin was far from used to being touched by anyone, for any reason. He flinched slightly as the chunnin's tan fingers ran over the bare skin on his back, but soon tried to relax. His wounds still hurt, but not as badly as they had before Iruka's fingers had been the ones treating them. They felt so warm and soothing, almost enough to make the pain slowly fade away…

"Academy-level first aid," Iruka laughed, smiling slightly as he helped Kakashi wrap bandages around his chest and back as best he could.

The Copy-nin smiled, amused that the chunnin could try to make jokes at a time like this. His heart was pounding. The enemy had to be close…

"Thank you," Kakashi said, once Iruka was finished.

He pulled his shirt and vest back on and stood up to help Iruka with his, since apparently putting the clothes back on one-handed was more difficult than taking them off. Iruka felt slightly embarrassed, but thanked the jounin before turning back to the direction that they were headed.

"Let's hurry up and get out of here," the chunnin said, and with a swift leapt, they were off.

The moonlight bore down on the branches before them, seeping through the leaves that were higher above and shedding light onto the night's shadow. It brightened their path, but also held the danger of exposing them. To the ninja, the darkness meant protection, and they clung to it as if their lives were dependant on it…because chances were, it was true.

Kakashi felt a slight bit of chakra returning to him. It wasn't much, but the jounin knew that every tiny amount would be essential, should they find themselves in a battle. He only hoped that he wouldn't be forced to see how far his chakra supply would take him. His eyes scanned the area around him cautiously. He could sense some sort of energy. It was close…

"Iruka!" the chunnin heard Kakashi suddenly gasp behind him.

He stopped and was about to ask the jounin "what," but as he opened his mouth, the loud, clanging sound of metal clashing with metal echoed right above his head. Shocked, Iruka's eyes darted around him before landing on Kakashi, who already had another kunai out and was watching the branches around them intently. He raised his weapon before him defensively as his eyes darted from left to right and back again. Whoever had aimed for Iruka was doing an admirable job of hiding right now, but the jounin was determined to keep up his guard. Iruka was surprised at how quickly Kakashi had been able to block the kunai in his condition. _He protected me…_

The chunnin took out his own weapon and turned around. He could hear the slight sound of the leaves ruffling above him, and pinpointing the enemy's location, he threw his kunai into the darkness. He just barely missed the enemy, but succeeded in flushing him out into the open. Kakashi was ready for him. The enemy ninja grunted as the jounin's kunai embedded itself into his side. He fell down to the forest floor where he painfully pulled the kunai out of him as he tried to stop the bleeding from the large wound it had left. Kakashi and Iruka followed him down, knowing that their opponent wasn't dead yet. It was difficult to see the ground as they sprang between trees to slow down their fall. In order to prevent a surprise attack before they hit the bottom, Kakashi used a fireball jutsu to light up the forest floor in the hopes that the flames would engulf their opponent as well.

There was a cry as the one they had been pursuing was consumed by the fire. Iruka and Kakashi landed on the blackened floor. The Copy-nin looked down at the charred remains of their opponent, making certain that he was dead. Iruka let out a sigh of relief but stiffened when Kakashi took a step around him and stood so that they were back-to-back.

"Don't let your guard down yet," the jounin warned.

Iruka took out another kunai in one hand and a knuckle-full of shuriken limply in the other, standing readily. He could feel Kakashi's back shifting against his- rising and falling with each panting breath. _He must be exhausted,_ Iruka thought. _How did he manage that fireball jutsu? His chakra must be drained…_The chunnin opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind. _What good will it do to tell him to save his chakra? He'll only do what's necessary to escape…and if he doesn't, chances are we won't make it out of here anyway…_This thought was a bit unnerving for Iruka, however. He thought back to what Kakashi had said to him while they were imprisoned. _"Both of us making it out was impossible, but one…I wanted it to be you."_ _He better not try to sacrifice himself again…_

"Kakashi…save your chakra," Iruka said finally, "because I'm not leaving you behind if you collapse."

Kakashi smiled slowly at the chunnin's words.

"Yeah…I know that now."

Iruka blushed slightly, but he didn't let down his defenses. He listened for the enemy, wondering how many more there were. He shifted the hand with the shuriken painfully. _I probably won't even be able to throw them… _

Kakashi's eyes scanned the area above and around them cautiously. He wanted to use his sharingan to help him detect the enemy, but knew that his remaining chakra would be zapped if he did. He glanced worriedly over his shoulder. Iruka was trembling slightly, and the jounin could tell he was in pain. Kakashi knew the chunnin barely had use of his arm, which must have made him feel even more defenseless. It was a horrible feeling, to feel helpless when the situation was so dangerous. No wonder Iruka looked so afraid. Though Kakashi was used to these situations, even he couldn't deny that he was nervous. _For your sake, I won't show it, though… _he thought. _Iruka, I won't fail you again…_

Kakashi closed his eyes and tried to feel for the enemy's chakra around him. _Maybe if I can just sense it…_He searched in the branches of the trees around him. Nothing. He spread his search out further along the ground. The Copy-nin could barely detect a hint of chakra, but it seemed as if-

"There's only one," Kakashi remarked, surprised.

"Really?" Iruka asked, relaxing only slightly.

The odds seemed to be in their favor, but the chunnin knew better than to let his guard down. After all, Kakashi and he were barely in any condition to fight a ninja that could be of a very high level, for all he knew. The fact that it was two against one wouldn't make much of a difference in that case.

Kakashi could sense the aura of the chakra he had detected growing larger. _He's getting ready to attack, _the jounin thought before finally seeing their opponent step forward into the moonlight- a woman. _"She" then…_

The kunoichi had long black hair, which covered the entire left side of her face and ran down to halfway between her shoulders and waist. She leered at the pair with an amused smile on her lips. The Copy-nin's eyes widened at the size of her chakra aura; he could almost see it emitting itself from her body.

"This is as far as you'll go," she told the jounin and chunnin.

Iruka turned to stand side-by-side with Kakashi and glared at the final obstacle between them and their freedom.

"Step aside. You're outnumbered," the chunnin said sternly.

Their enemy looked far from intimidated. She had more chakra readily available than the two of them combined. There was no way they'd be able to outlast her in battle if this carried on for too long. _This is bad, _thought Kakashi.

"That can be easily changed," the woman said to Iruka with a sly smile.

She raised her hands in front of her, preparing to unleash a jutsu. Kakashi panicked. He pulled Iruka out of the way as a long white shape shot itself at the chunnin. Instead of continuing straight, however, it curved around and came at Iruka from behind. There was nothing the jounin could do as he watched the cloud engulf his partner. _No!_

Once the cloud had dissipated, Kakashi assumed the worst, but seeing Iruka appear from the midst of it, he was surprised to find him unscathed. In fact, he looked perfectly fine.

"Iruka?" Kakashi asked cautiously, taking a step away from him while watching the kunoichi out of the corner of his eye.

The chunnin didn't answer. Instead, he looked into Kakashi's eye blankly and raised his kunai. The jounin's eyes went wide as his partner swung the weapon at him. It didn't take the Copy-nin long to register what had happened. _She has him under some kind of possession jutsu! _he thought, panicking. Iruka came at him again and again without hesitation. The jounin continued to block and dodge each attack carefully, but his energy was draining, and it didn't seem like he'd be able to keep it up much longer.

"Kill him!" the enemy ninja hissed, and the look on the chunnin's face turned into an expression of pure hate and determination.

Seeing Iruka look at him that way stabbed the jounin without physically puncturing his skin. Kakashi wasn't sure why it hurt him so much. He knew Iruka was under the effects of a jutsu but for him to give him _that _sort of look…

"Fight it, Iruka," the Copy-Nin panted, out of breath, "I don't want to…I _can't_…hurt you."

Iruka lunged at him and slashed his arm with the edge of his kunai. Kakashi grunted in pain as blood leaked from the deep gash. He just barely managed to avoid the round of shuriken the chunnin threw at him clumsily with his bad arm. There was pain hidden behind his possessed eyes. The kunoichi was forcing him against his limits. She couldn't care less about how much he suffered as she forced him to continue to relentlessly attack his injured partner.

Iruka was moving quickly, and Kakashi was beginning to have even more trouble avoiding his attacks. _I can't keep going like this, _Kakashi thought as Iruka's weapon grazed his shoulder. _I have to break him out of this somehow._

"Kai!" Kakashi shouted, holding up two fingers.

The enemy only laughed at him.

"That won't do you any good," she informed him, "This is no ordinary jutsu!"

Kakashi grunted in frustration. This had to be something similar to the Yamanaka mind control technique. _If Iruka can't break out of this himself…_ The chunnin's kunai clashed with his, and Iruka attempted to force him back. The jounin's eyes shot to the woman. She was watching him with a smug look on her face, enjoying the battle that she had instigated. Kakashi pushed Iruka away from him and formed a quick hand seal while whispering something too low for anyone else to hear, but nothing seemed to happen, much to his enemy's pleasure. Kakashi looked away from Iruka for a moment to stare at the kunoichi. _She's strong…but I have to take her out somehow. Then this jutsu will be- _The Copy-Nin didn't even have time to finish the thought before the chunnin shoved him hard against a tree.

The chunnin's kunai was embedded in Kakashi's shoulder, and the pain was incredible. The jounin tried to force him back, but the last jutsu he had attempted had been more than he could handle. He pushed against Iruka uselessly as the kunoichi laughed at them.

"Now hold him in place so I can finish him off myself," she ordered, and Iruka obeyed, gripping Kakashi's hands behind his back and pushing him in front of him, offering his partner to the enemy.

Kakashi struggled slightly, but Iruka held onto him tightly. The kunoichi took a step closer to him.

"They call you Sharigan Kakashi, don't they?" she smirked, "It'll be an honor to be the one who kills you…and then your friend can join you in the afterlife."

The jounin growled angrily beneath his breath. _We aren't going to be the ones who die here…_The enemy took out a scroll and summoned a giant shuriken out of it. Then without hesitation, the kunoichi charged at them. Kakashi panicked. _No! She's moving too fast! My plan- it won't work…_Iruka was grunting behind him, shaking slightly as he gripped onto his partner.

_Is this it? _the jounin wondered. _Is this how it ends for me? Like this? At least… just maybe- my death will be enough to snap Iruka out of it… _He glanced sadly over his shoulder to look into the chunnin's eyes. _I know this isn't what you wanted, but…_

"Iruka," Kakashi gasped quietly, "If only one of us can live…"

Their enemy had almost reached them. Once she had made it within a few feet, she threw the giant shuriken at the jounin's vulnerable chest. Kakashi closed his eyes, ready for death after so many years of dodging it. _Goodbye, Iruka…_There was a thud as the weapon hit something…but strangely, Kakashi felt no pain. The force that had been restraining him was missing as well. _What? _Kakashi opened his eyes slowly until suddenly, they widened in horror. Iruka's chocolate brown eyes stared back into his, gleaming sadly, but no longer possessed.

"I want it to be you," the chunnin finished for him with a whisper.

With that, he fell to the floor, large shuriken embedded in his back. Kakashi could not stop trembling.

"I-Iruka!" he yelled.

Their attacker was laughing at them.

"That fool- throwing himself in front of that attack! Though I'm surprised that he was able to break out of that jutsu so quickly…"

Kakashi fell to his knees beside Iruka and pulled the weapon from his back. The chunnin grunted slightly. The Copy-Nin glared at the kunoichi fiercely and threw the shuriken as quickly as he could. She stepped to the side, barely avoiding it, but as she opened her mouth to scoff at him, she felt something pierce her from behind. Writhing in pain, she turned her head slowly to find herself eye-to-eye with one of Kakashi's clones- the one she had assumed he hadn't been able to produce. _That jutsu…so it did-! _The other end of the katana blade sticking out in front of her was the last thing she saw before she collapsed with a thud onto the forest floor.

The Copy-Nin wasted no time. He quickly stripped off Iruka's vest and shirt. The blood on the chunnin's bare tan back gleamed slightly in the moonlight. There was so _much_. Kakashi desperately tried to stop the bleeding, and remembering the medical justu that he had copied from Rin so long ago, he attempted to heal the large wound. This was just like before, only now he was in Rin's place, and Iruka was in his. His mind flooded with memories of his old teammate doing all she could to heal him- up until the time of her death. _"Hold on, Kakashi! You're going to be okay. Just a little-"_ There was so much blood.

"Don't die on me, Iruka," Kakashi begged, the last wall he had built around his heart finally breaking down, "Don't…I can't…"

_I can't stand to lose someone else for my sake…_

"Ka…kashi…." the chunnin grunted weakly.

"Hold on, please," the jounin whispered.

Everything was slowly getting blurry. He didn't have the chakra for this, but he had no choice but to keep trying. _Even if it drains every bit I have…_ The medical jutsu that he hadn't attempted in so long was slowly closing the wound. Kakashi pulled the first aid supplies out of his pack and cleaned it up. Iruka was breathing softly now. The jounin messily bandaged his wound and rose on unsteady feet. Somehow, they still had to get back to Konoha. He gathered everything up and slowly crouched down next to the chunnin. Carefully, he lifted Iruka's body off the floor and took a staggering step forward. His head was spinning. _This isn't going to work…_Reluctantly, he set the academy teacher down on the floor and pulled out a scroll from one of his vest pockets. He formed a few shaky hand seals and smearing the scroll with the blood from his shoulder wound, he summoned his fastest nin-dog.

"Get…help," was all he managed to say before he lost consciousness and collapsed onto the floor, barely even sure of whether or not he had spoken the words out loud.

* * *

**A/N: I wish I could physically see your reactions, but I guess I'll just have to settle for the feedback I get. XD I'm really glad I got this out tonight 'cause I'm going away for 4 days and would have probably had to wait. Like you might have guessed, the title for this chapter comes from Kakashi's quote from chapter 5 when he's training with Iruka and he tells him, "Be aggressive…Like it's you or me." In this, it references the last scene, of course. ****At first, I was going to have it the other way around- where Kakashi saves Iruka by taking the hit, but I thought this worked out much better for a lot of reasons. For one thing, Iruka deserves the chance to play the hero!**

**As you may or may not know, this is officially the second to last chapter unless I change my mind or the ending chapter doesn't feel complete for some reason. I will more than likely write a sequel and possibly a companion fic. See my profile page for more details. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, Shackled. Those were some of the best reviews I've gotten so far! I like 'em long...(happy sigh) My replies tend to be proportional in length to your reviews, so sorry I've annoyed you with my babbling. XD Of course, I'm happy to get reviews of any length. Short reviews are better than none, so please let me know what you think and if there's anything else I should change. I'm especially appreciative of the people who keep coming back and leaving me a new review for every chapter. You guys are so awesome! Much love to you. Jaa!**

**-K.I.**

**just in case: Kunoichi equals female ninja (the coolest kind! XD)**

**random: Today is my 11/12ths birthday XD yay**


	8. Chapter 8: In Your Arms

**A/N: Here it is- finally! Took me long enough, huh? XD Sorry about that...Your patience will be rewarded! I have for you a nice long juicy chapter to end the story with! I hope you enjoy it!****

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Chapter Eight: In Your Arms **

_An enormous shuriken was whizzing through the air. Iruka barely had time to realize what he was doing as he sped towards Naruto, who was on the ground scrambling to escape the deadly weapon's path. The young ninja closed his eyes, certain that his life was over…until he saw his sensei over him, shielding him with his body. Tears were running down the chunnin's face. Naruto stared at him, wide-eyed, horrified, and confused._

"_W-Why?"_

_No one had ever cared for him as long as he could remember, and here his sensei, who he was sure hated him, had suddenly leapt in front of a shuriken to save him. The blonde just didn't understand. Iruka's tears dripped down from his face and onto his student's. His voice shook as he spoke._

"_Because…we're the same."_

_Iruka's heart was pounding. His back- it hurt. There was so much blood…Was this really the end? He grunted in pain, the weapon embedded deeply into his back. He gazed down into Naruto's blue eyes…but suddenly, it wasn't Naruto anymore. Below him was-_

"Kakashi!"

The chunnin's eyes shot open as he yelled out the name. He was somewhere strange…He blinked a few times, eyes scanning the area around him. His injured arm was tightly bandaged and held in a sling. He could feel bandages wrapped all over his body. There was a sharp pain in his back, but it didn't hurt as much as he had expected. He remembered the _first _time he had been struck with the giant shuriken. Now _that _had been painful. Iruka shuddered at the memory. _If I keep making a habit of this, I'm not going to live very long…_

The door opened suddenly, and Tsunade herself entered the room.

"Godaime-sama!" Iruka said, surprised.

"Ah, you're awake, Iruka-sensei. That's good news. How are you feeling?"

"Probably not as bad as I look," Iruka mumbled, rubbing his forehead lightly with the hand of his good arm, "After what happened, I'm surprised I don't feel worse."

"Yes…Kakashi-sensei did an impressive job on you for the condition he was in. I didn't even know he knew any medical jutsu…"

"K-Kakashi healed me?"

The Fifth Hokage nodded.

"He closed the wound in your back. The rescue team found the two of you unconscious on the forest floor and brought you back here. Most of your other injuries were not too serious. You should recover quickly."

Iruka stared into her light brown eyes.

"What about Kakashi?"

Tsunade's face fell, and she let out a sigh, turning away from Iruka slightly. Iruka raised his eyebrows in alarm.

"He's going to be okay, isn't he? Godaime-sama!"

He was trying hard not to yell at the village leader, but the look on her face was causing him to panic.

"Hard to say," Tsunade sighed finally, "He overused his chakra supply. There's barely any left, and it's recovering very slowly- possibly too slow. His body is exhausted right now. If he's unable to regain enough of his chakra...You know what will happen."

Iruka knew it only too well.

"He'll…die."

It was part of the basics of ninjutsu. The academy teacher taught it all the time. _"Don't overuse your chakra- if you do, it can kill you." _Kakashi should have known this better than anyone, and yet…

"Can I see him?"

"You're hardly in any condition for that," Tsunade objected, but seeing Iruka's pleading face, considered, "Maybe we can have a wheelchair brought in…"

Iruka rose painfully and lowered himself into the wheelchair when it arrived. Tsunade pushed him out the door and toward Kakashi's room. As Iruka entered, he saw the jounin lying on the bed, and wearing nothing but hospital pants and his mask. He had several bruises and bandages on his chest. Tsunade wheeled Iruka to his bedside so the chunnin could see the visible part of the jounin's face.

Kakashi's eyes were tightly shut, and his face looked pained, though most of it was hidden. Iruka looked at him worriedly and cautiously reached out to touch the jounin's pale arm. He could sense almost no chakra circulating through him. The chunnin's hand shook slightly. He flinched as he felt Tsunade's hand on his shoulder.

"Iruka…"

"He can't die," Iruka said in a low voice, "It was supposed to be me."

The Fifth let out a sympathetic sigh.

"Kakashi pushed himself past his capabilities to save you both. I'm sure he wouldn't want you feeling sorry that he did."

"_If only one of us can live…"_ Iruka felt something sting in his nose. His eyes watered slightly as he gazed at the silver-haired jounin sadly. Tsunade could hear the guilt and regret in his voice.

"He didn't care about himself…He did this because of me. It's my fault."

"You shouldn't blame yourself, Iruka. He only did what he thought was best, given the situation."

_I didn't ask him to…_Iruka saw the bandages wrapped around his chest and shoulder- the shoulder _he _had stabbed while possessed by the enemy's jutsu. There was another bandage around his arm where the chunnin had slashed him with the same kunai. _I did this to you._ It was too much- Iruka lost the fight against his tears. They worked their way slowly down from his eyes until Iruka's hand rose to wipe them away quickly. He knew he could never stand living with such guilt. The chunnin hadn't felt this kind of pain since his parents had died. _I don't want to lose you too…_

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Iruka whispered.

"We're doing all we can," Tsunade replied, "His system is too worn out from chakra overuse. Every bit that's regained slowly is immediately used to help heal his body. For him to regain a sufficient amount of chakra and maintain his normal flow, he would need a large dose at once, but-"

Iruka jolted slightly as an idea appeared without warning as well as a burst of hope.

"Chakra transfer jutsu…"

"What?" Tsunade asked, confused.

"It's something Kakashi used when we were captured. He transferred his chakra to me, and I was able to use it to break out of my chains. If we could use it to give some chakra back to him…wouldn't that be enough to save him?"

Tsunade thought to herself for a moment.

"I've never heard of anything like that existing," she remarked, a half-smile spreading across her lips, "Leave it to Sharingan Kakashi to learn it."

Iruka's face fell.

"Does that mean you can't-?"

"Now, don't say that," the Fifth said sternly, "Don't worry, I'm sure we can find a way. If someone doesn't know, I can research it. We can't just give up on one of our best jounin, now can we?"

She smirked at him warmly. The chunnin wasn't sure whether or not she was just trying to make him feel better by giving him hope. _But that would be cruel if she didn't really believe there was a way to save him. _Iruka chose to trust her. He returned the smile.

"Please hurry, Godaime-sama."

The Fifth Hokage smiled and gave him a reassuring nod.

"I'll start right away. As soon as I get you back to-"

"Please…Can I stay for a bit?" Iruka asked quietly.

Tsunade sighed with a frown. Iruka was giving her the same look she had gotten earlier, and she couldn't bring herself to say "no."

"Very well, but I'm sending someone back for you soon," she told him and left the room.

Iruka watched the door close and turned his gaze back on the unconscious jounin. Kakashi twitched slightly and let out a deep sigh. _I wonder if he's dreaming about something,_ Iruka thought. The Copy-Nin was trembling slightly. Iruka slid his hand into his, trying to calm him. Kakashi relaxed a little, but his eyebrows furrowed slightly in troubled worry.

"Hey, it's okay, Kakashi," Iruka said softly to him, though he felt a bit silly.

Maybe if Kakashi heard his voice, even subconsciously, it would help…

" I'm fine," Iruka said, "Thanks to you. You're going to be fine too…You just have to hang in there a little longer."

The chunnin blushed slightly as he suddenly felt Kakashi's hand grip his tightly. He turned even redder when he heard the jounin mutter something subconsciously that sounded strangely familiar.

"I…ruka…"

The brown-haired man froze for a moment in shock and slight embarrassment, but he also felt a wave of relief and happiness. Even his name mumbled subconsciously meant that the jounin might be a step closer to regaining full consciousness. The academy teacher wondered if this meant the Copy-nin could indeed actually hear him.

"I'm right here, Kakashi…"

A lazy grey eye slowly opened halfway. It gazed hazily at Iruka and curved into a shape that looked like a frown, but was in actuality, a smile. A scarred red one followed it, but as soon as it had opened, both fell shut as the remaining chakra was immediately used up. Iruka's eyes widened as the hand clutching his suddenly fell limp. The chunnin started shaking slightly and found that he couldn't breathe.

"_Kakashi!" _he wanted to scream, but the name wouldn't come. Iruka couldn't move. The hand he was holding was slowly growing colder…Tears were out of his control. _No, no, no…_

He saw Kakashi near the memorial, smiling at him. His hand was on Iruka's shoulder. _"You don't have to worry about a thing…" _His voice was so warm and reassuring. "…_as long as I'm still here, he'll be fine. I would never let my teammates die." _The chunnin closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was in Kakashi's arms. _"Looks like you overdid it. I think it's best if we stopped and rested a while, hmm?"_ The next moment, he was on Kakashi's back, feeling the wind against his face as the jounin bounded from tree to tree.

They were eating dinner together and talking about Naruto. Kakashi admitted something sadly._" I wish I felt more…useful."_ They were locked up in cells next to each other. Iruka could hear his voice through the wall. _"You were supposed to have kept going." _He saw his eyes widened in shock as Iruka stood before him with a shuriken embedded in his back. _"I want it to be you_,_" Iruka told him. I WANT IT TO BE YOU! _The chunnin's eyes were filled with tears, and he felt himself growing smaller and suddenly felt helpless. It was raining. Everything was black. He looked up into a younger Kakashi's eyes as he felt a small hand on his shoulder. _"I know how you feel…" _

_You can't leave me, Kakashi, _Iruka thought as he began to tremble harder._ I…need you…I need you!_

He threw himself forward painfully from the wheelchair and placed his head at Kakashi's shoulder, sobbing shamelessly. _DON'T DIE! _There was a sudden burst of energy within him that came with this wave of emotion. Iruka wanted to throw all of the chakra from his body and pour it into his teammate- he wanted it more than he had ever wanted anything else. He wanted to save the one who had risked so much for him. "_It should have been me."_

"KAKASHI!"

The name was finally able to escape him…and all of a sudden, his head was spinning. His energy was leaving him. His world was turning black…

Kakashi was somewhere far away. He sat at the edge of a stream, and looking down at his arms, he saw the protective metal armor plates he always use to wear as a child and the large cross strap that held his father's chakra blade on his back. He thought he heard someone calling his name, and as he looked across the stream, he saw the figure of a familiar man. _Father? _Kakashi rose, but Sakumo had already disappeared. In his place stood a blonde man with a welcoming smile. _Sensei…_Behind him appeared Kakashi's old teammates, Rin and Obito. Kakashi reached a hand out towards them, as if this would somehow bring them closer. They all looked just as they had before they had died. Their warm smiles filled him with a now-familiar longing. He could hear them calling his name. _Kakashi! _

"KAKASHI!"

It was louder now. The images suddenly faded away, and the jounin gasped as he felt a force shoot into his body, reviving his strength and consciousness. It wasn't until he looked down and saw the chunnin lying at his shoulder that he realized who had really been calling his name.

"Iruka?"

Kakashi raised an arm painfully- his body ached all over. He touched Iruka's shoulder and shook him slightly. The chunnin didn't budge.

"Iruka!"

The jounin tried to register what was going on. The last thing he remembered, he had been on the forest floor, closing a large wound on Iruka's back…then he had sent the nin-dog. They must have gotten back to Konoha somehow- Kakashi recognized the hospital all too well- but why was Iruka unconscious and leaning out of a wheelchair onto his bed? Unless…

Kakashi raised his hand up to his own forehead. His chakra flow felt almost regular, but something about it was different, almost unfamiliar. _Iruka…No, that's impossible…The chakra transfer jutsu could only be used…_Kakashi felt his face grow hot. He pulled down his mask and felt a little better. He then realized that his shirt was gone, so he removed the strange-looking ring of fabric from around his neck. He looked down at the chunnin worriedly. _He needs help…_

Just then, a nurse burst threw the door.

"Umino-san, Tsunade-sama sent me to- Oh! Hatake-san, you're awake!"

Kakashi's face turned slightly red at being caught without his mask. He recovered quickly though, out of concern for Iruka.

"He's unconscious. Please help him," he said urgently.

"Of course!" the nurse responded, already rushing over.

She lifted the rest of Iruka back into the wheelchair and pushed him back to his own room. Kakashi watched them go worriedly. _I hope he'll be okay…_

Tsunade came as soon as she had heard what had happened. She headed for Iruka's room, and as she came in, she spotted the chunnin lying on his bed with the nurse sitting at his bedside.

"What's his condition?" the Hokage questioned.

"He's low on chakra, but should recover," the nurse responded.

"That's good…"

The Fifth looked down at the tan-skinned man who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. He had wiped most of his chakra out. _Does that mean…? _As soon as Tsunade had double-checked to make sure Iruka was okay, she made her way to Kakashi's room. She was surprised to see the jounin sitting up so alertly as she entered. Tsunade had heard that Kakashi was awake, but she still had expected him to be just on the brink of consciousness.

"Feeling better?" she asked him.

He looked up at her with one lazy eye, careful to keep the left one closed.

"A little," he replied, smiling just slightly.

His face grew serious quickly however as he gave the Hokage a concerned look.

"How…is Iruka?"

"He'll be fine," Tsunade told him, "Seems like his chakra's been nearly depleted. What happened?"

Kakashi cast his eye down.

"I think it was…the chakra transfer jutsu."

"Iruka knew how to do it?"

"Apparently so…"

"How is that possible? Did you teach it to him?"

Kakashi tried to shake his head, but the motion hurt.

"No…This type of jutsu is unusual. You don't have to learn it to be able to use it. It could happen accidentally."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"How so?"

Kakashi hesitated for a moment. He looked up at Tsunade with his open eye for a moment before averting it again.

"There's only one condition that has to be met," he told her softly.

"And that is?"

Kakashi thought back to the time he had learned the chakra transfer jutsu. It had been many years ago, during his time as an ANBU. The one he had copied it from had been another ANBU in his group, the one who had died right after…

"The user must care about the receiver more than himself," the jounin answered.

Tsunade said nothing at first. She glanced at Kakashi curiously, observing his silence. Then, she nodded understandingly.

"That would make sense, seeing that you did the same for him."

Kakashi sighed. Of course he had known that to him, his life wasn't worth more than Iruka's, but for Iruka to think the opposite…

"No one cares that much for me."

"Apparently, that's not true," Tsunade told him, "I don't know much about this jutsu, but if what you say about it is correct, Iruka-sensei must care for you a lot... because I don't know him as one to think too little of himself."

And with that, the Fifth Hokage left, leaving the jounin alone with his thoughts and confusion.

In a room not too far away, Iruka was slowly regaining consciousness. _What happened?_ he thought wearily. He felt as if all the energy had been sucked out of him. Even opening his eyes felt exhausting. The chunnin kept them closed as he thought back to what had happened before he had passed out. His face flushed red as the recent memories came back to him. _I need you…_All the pain within him returned with his consciousness. Kakashi was dead. Iruka had seen him die- his partner had used up his chakra to heal him when he should have been the one who had been saved. _It's all my fault_, Iruka thought bitterly to himself. _Why did he…He shouldn't have…**Stupid** Kakashi! Why couldn't you just let me die peacefully after saving you? Now I have to live with the guilt of having your life sacrificed for mine…_It was selfish, he knew. Kakashi would have felt the same guilt if he had been the one who had lived…but now Iruka thought he was the only one left, so he was allowed to get mad at the jounin for choosing a death less painful than life. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter and suppressed a whimper. _Kakashi- why?_

It was a little over an hour after Tsunade had left that a nurse found a certain jounin stumbling his way down the hall. She rushed to his side in a panic.

"Hatake-san! You're not well enough to be walking around!" she hissed.

"I'm fine," the Copy-Nin protested stubbornly, "Where is Iruka's room?"

"You can't see him right now! Umino-san is resting! If you want him to get better, you'll leave him alone!"

"I just want to see him," Kakashi insisted, "Please…"

And here he made a face that could not easily be described by those who saw it. It wasn't a pout- Kakashi wasn't the type that pouted…but his unmasked lips moved in an almost pleading way and his eyes were suddenly filled with a pained look that stabbed the nurse in the heart and caused her face to flush slightly.

"Very well…This way."

When Kakashi entered the room and was promptly seated in a chair next to Iruka's bed, he found that the chunnin's eyes were tightly shut. The nurse left the two of them alone, promising to return soon to escort Kakashi back to his room and already dreading the lecture she was sure to receive from Tsunade about letting patients run around loose in the hospital.

The jounin stared at Iruka quietly. Despite having his eyes shut, the chunnin looked restless. Kakashi frowned as he watched the academy teacher grimace. _Are you in pain because of me?_ The Copy-Nin had suddenly found himself desperate to sort out the feelings tangled within him. It was as if the knot of emotion he had been trying to suppress had continued to grow larger and larger within him during this past mission- and messier along the way. He knew he would risk anything for his companions; he was much like his father in this way. When it came to Iruka, however, there was another factor that played into this, which was exactly what he was trying to figure out. _Why do you care so much for me?_ As if the implication that lay behind the chakra-transfer jutsu wasn't enough, Kakashi found himself thinking back to that battle in the forest the night before. Iruka had put the jounin's life first even then. He had chosen Kakashi's life over his own the moment he had leapt in front of the shuriken. _How long have you felt this way? _It couldn't have been very long at all. Surely the famous Copy-nin would have noticed…but sometimes no matter how far underneath the underneath Kakashi looked, not all answers came in a simple form.

It had been a long time since Iruka had closed his eyes, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get himself to drift away into the more peaceful land of sleep. It was all he wanted- just something, _anything _to stop the pain, at least temporarily. Sleep seemed like his only option for escape at the moment, but yet, it remained out of his reach. The chunnin's face twisted in frustration. He tried to shut out all outside noises, even when they were coming from right next to him. He didn't care what it was. It wasn't worth opening his eyes and facing the world he was trying to hide from just to find out.

_You were always protecting me…but why couldn't you let me do the same for you? Just once- when it mattered…Kakashi…_

Iruka moved around in his hospital bed restlessly, surprised that he had the energy to move at all. His body felt numb all over, and there was an emptiness inside of him that he had seldom felt before. He wondered if it was the loss of Kakashi or of his chakra that had caused it. He finally lay still, hands clenched slightly and involuntary tears slowly making their way down the sides of his face from his eyes to his ears…Then, he felt a warm hand on his own.

At first, Iruka wasn't sure if it was real. Maybe he was just imagining things…but the warmth was there. He debated whether or not to open his eyes. He didn't need comforting from some stranger. Whose hand could possibly be on his? No one that he knew…The academy teacher chose to keep his eyes shut- until he heard a voice.

"Iruka…"

That voice- it was familiar. Iruka's eyes shot open immediately, and he sat up a little too fast. He lifted the hand of his good arm and placed it on his forehead. Slowly, his eyes scanned his hospital room, but he saw no one he recognized. There was only one young man sitting in the chair next to him. He had a handsome face that Iruka had never seen before. It made the chunnin blush slightly and then jump in shock when his gaze fell on his visitor's eyes. One lazy marble grey eye stared back at him underneath a silver brow. The other eye was shut tightly and bisected by a large scar. It couldn't be...but only one man Iruka knew had eyes like that.

"K-kakashi?" the brown-haired man stammered.

The jounin got over his well-hidden shock and embarrassment at the chunnin rising up so quickly after he had touched his hand, and he smiled at Iruka, lips curving along with his eyes for the first time the academy teacher had ever seen.

"Glad to see you're awake, Iruka," the Copy-Nin told him.

The chunnin didn't answer right away. His eyes were transfixed on the jounin's mouth- which he could actually see _move _when he talked. It was much different than simply watching fabric shift. Kakashi realized what the chunnin was looking at and blushed slightly. There was no mask to hide the redness on his pale face.

Seeing Kakashi's face redden alerted Iruka to what he was doing, and he turned away embarrassedly, his own face flushing. His mind was flooded and confused. _Am I dreaming? Kakashi is…_

The academy teacher looked back towards the man sitting next to his bed. He was no illusion. His single eye watched Iruka concernedly. The chunnin was staring down at the blankets of the hospital bed that covered the lower half of his body. His fist gripped the bed sheet as his eyes slowly flooded. Kakashi leaned closer.

"Iruka? Are you-"

The Copy-nin was cut off by a certain chunnin as the younger man suddenly lunged forward and threw his good arm around the jounin. Kakashi was frozen in shock as he felt Iruka's arm tighten around him as the one in the sling was squeezed between them. If it hurt, Iruka didn't seem to care. The jounin could feel the wetness of the chunnin's tears on his bare chest.

"I thought you were dead," Iruka choked out finally.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Don't you remember? You're the one who saved me. You used the chakra transfer justu and brought me back…"

"W-what? I didn't do anything. I'm the reason you almost died!"

Kakashi found himself reaching out to embrace his partner in an attempt to comfort him.

"You're wrong," the Copy-nin said, "You're the reason I'm alive…and this isn't the first time that's true."

Iruka pulled away slowly and looked up at the jounin questioningly. Kakashi felt his hand slide off the bandages on Iruka's back where the large wound he had closed was hidden. The jounin looked at Iruka sadly.

"Back in the forest…when you jumped in front of me-"

He averted his eyes, letting his sentence trail off. The academy teacher could sense that he was distressed about something. The Copy-nin was silent.

"Why?" he finished finally.

Iruka couldn't help but give a small, choked laugh of disbelief. After all this time, the jounin still didn't get it. He didn't understand…Kakashi flinched at this unexpected reaction to his question. Iruka quickly wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand and smiled at the jounin.

"Because for a moment," he told him, "there was something more important to me than my life."

Kakashi stared back at him, wide-eyed. _So it's true then…You really do care more about me than yourself._

"Why me?" he whispered.

Iruka froze and bit his lip slightly. Was he ready to admit it? Admit what part of him had known was true all along? He took a sharp breath in before he spoke.

"We're not so different, you and I."

Kakashi raised his eyebrows, mouth slightly agape. Iruka looked up at him almost sadly, though he knew he had never been happier in his life. Kakashi was _alive_…

"When you stopped moving, I thought I had lost you, and the thought of you gone forever…and it being _my _fault…It was just too much for me."

The chunnin's drying tears began to resurface. Even Iruka rarely cried, and Kakashi felt a painful pang within him as the chunnin stifled a sob. He saw a young genin before him, dressed in black, mourning his recently dead parents…He remembered the way he had felt when he had seen that boy crying, the understanding that had existed between them…_I know how you feel._

Kakashi put a hand on the Iruka's shoulder.

"I would never want you to feel that way for my sake…"

"Kakashi…"

"You care about me more than yourself- that's more than I deserve."

Iruka shook his head.

"Everyone always talks about how great you are, but you always put yourself so low."

_Because I'm not worth anything_, the Copy-Nin thought_, I've failed so many times…the times that were most essential. I always told my team that I'd protect them with my life…but I never-_

"You're important to me, Kakashi," Iruka said suddenly, cutting off the jounin's thoughts.

Kakashi looked into his partner's eyes questioningly. Iruka smiled at him crookedly, eyes red from the tears. The jounin wasn't sure how to respond. He opened his mouth slightly, but closed it again when the words failed to come.

The chunnin leaned closer to him and brought his hand up to Kakashi's face, cupping his jaw as he stared at the mismatched eyes hazily. Iruka wasn't sure if he was feeling like himself or not, but all of a sudden, he felt himself wanting to get closer to the Copy-Nin who he felt like he was seeing for the first time. Kakashi was too confused to comprehend it right away. He didn't resist or pull away when Iruka touched him. In fact, he found himself leaning closer to the academy teacher as Iruka drew him in. Their noses touched briefly and then- their lips met.

Neither was sure when the kiss ended or how it had really happened in the first place, but the fact was that it had, and that something about it had felt right. _I never want to lose you, Kakashi_, Iruka thought as he let his hand slip from the Copy-nin's face and sat up straight. He watched as his handsome teammate's lips curled into a smile. Kakashi felt as if he were dreaming, or rather like he was waking up from a nightmare, only to find that everything was all right in the real world. It was a happiness that was difficult to explain, as it was new to him. He couldn't remember the last time he realized that someone had cared about him so much. Usually by the time he had, it had been too late- he had already lost that person. Iruka was still here with him, however.

_Maybe life does give you second chances sometimes…It's rare, but- _He looked into his partner's scarred face, which was warmed by a smile that told him that he was accepted, that he was loved. Kakashi continued to smile back, trying to return the message in a way his words could not. –_I'd be a fool not to take one when it's offered. _

They took a hold of each other's hand, and didn't let go- not even when the nurse came back for Kakashi, only to turn around embarrassedly and exit the room upon seeing the scene before her. The two ninja laughed nervously to themselves, but didn't dwell on it long.

They were released from the hospital a few days later, and from then on, whatever had sprouted between them continued to grow. Iruka went back to the academy to teach the students who were surprisingly very excited about his return. It seemed the sub had been more than they could handle this time. Iruka learned later than it had been none other than Morino Ibiki, who had only needed to come by briefly to "calm the restless children down" before they had been so traumatized that any teacher that came after him was quickly obeyed, and having their old familiar teacher back again restored their comfort and even some of their innocence. Iruka would have to have a talk with the chief interrogator later. As he stood at the front of the classroom and lectured his students about basic ninja techniques and principles, his healing arm still in a sling, Iruka would sometimes notice a familiar figure sitting in a tree outside, not too far from the window. He was usually reading a brightly-colored book or staring up at the sky absent-mindedly, but whenever he knew that he had the young academy teacher's attention, he would give him a wave and his signature one-eyed smile. The students wondered why their sensei's face would sometimes turn slightly red in the middle of his lecture.

Sometimes when Kakashi returned from a difficult mission and went to hand in his mission report, Iruka would invite him to dinner to celebrate his return. Kakashi always accepted. It was his favorite reason to look forward to coming home. Sometimes they ate out, other times they cooked for one another. On the weekends, they walked to the memorial stone together…

They stood in front of the monument, flowers in one hand, each other's hand in the other. They looked down at the names of those who had left them behind, but whose spirits they could sense, present with them at all times. Kakashi could usually feel Iruka's hand gripping his tighter, and he would squeeze back, reassuring him that he understood the chunnin's pain and that he was not alone. Iruka made Kakashi feel the same way. After so long, the jounin finally had someone who cared about him, who he was not afraid to care for in return. In spite of the worthlessness he had burdened upon himself, there was someone who valued him and gave him the acceptance he needed from others as well as himself. He finally had his place, something worth fighting for, someone who loved him- somewhere to belong.

**The End**

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**A/N: Thank you all for finishing the story! This has been the pride of my summer! XD I hope you liked it. I'd love to know your favorite parts of the chapter or of the entire story in general! Good feedback keeps me writing. Props and a special thanks goes out to those who keep coming back and those who leave lengthy reviews! You know who you are. Thanks also to Mellony Harper who read over my chapter and made sure I didn't slip up. I was afraid I was going to overdo it with the sappy mush, but I thought it was a nice fluffy end to the story. XD Sorry to you guys who were expecting hardcore yaoi. We'll save that for another fic...or a companion fic. I haven't really decided yet. Here's another area where your feedback comes in!**

**So the next question is...what am I going to do now? I know I mentioned a sequel, and I'm still up for that if enough people want it and if I can actually think of a decent plot. I'm also working on another series right now that starts with "Be My Friend" (read it! choke on the fluff!), and I thought I might do another one for the "body-switching series" (Undercover Kakashi and Iruka's Revenge) if I haven't overdone that one already too. XD Now would also be the ideal time to accept challenges/requests as well, so don't be afraid to ask. I can't guarentee I'll be able to get around to it quickly, due to classes and other stuff I'm working on, but I'd be happy to do something special if I find the time! Let me know. Keep reading and spreading the KakaIru love.XD Later all! Thanks again!**

**_-K.I._**


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